From Dusk Till Dawn
by tb0neski
Summary: The Third and last installment of my series, Udyr x Nidalee. This story begins one year where Will of a Warrior left off, and Udyr gets a vision in a dream that the Order of the Shadow is still alive and working with the fiends from the Shadow Isles. Udyr and his allies will go through a series of events to finally finish off Zed and his minions.
1. Prologue

From Dusk Till Dawn – Prologue

(Third in the series, continuation of my two previous works, "Udyr x Nidalee" and "Will of a Warrior")

The quiet before battle…

The harmony in the night…

Peace: the defining word that had held Nidalee and Udyr together for so long, after all that they had gone through. It wouldn't seem like it was that long, but they felt at home in Ionia. They grew with each other as they rebuilt the city of Ionia destroyed by Zed.

This time, it was not 3 weeks. Instead, it was an entire year. They had a child together, and named him 'Soul.'

Udyr held him while he was asleep. "He will become the greatest warrior of the Spirit Walkers, I know it!"

"He looks just like his father, too; same eyes, same spirit, and same attitude."

They went to sleep later that night after putting Soul to bed. Udyr decided that he wanted to have privacy with Nidalee, so he put Soul in Annie's room and had Annie stay with Ahri. Yasuo was a busy man in Ionia, but would always be there for whenever Ahri called him. Riven tried to go away from her fighter ways and instead become a self defense teacher. Udyr had trouble sleeping that night, much like he always had when he was troubled that something bad may happen. He finally fell asleep, and in his dreams he saw his master:

'_Master, are you alive? Or am I dead?'_

'_Run_.'

Udyr was confused. '_Huh?'_

Udyr's master took him in his arms and ran. '_There's no time left to talk. GAH!'_

A piercing light came down from the sky. It blinded Udyr as he was thrown out of his master's arms. Udyr opened his eyes, and saw Yorick, the gravedigger. Yorick had knocked his master to the ground with his shovel, and was digging his grave right in front of him.

'_Like Father like son they always say. You always go out the same exact way: fighting for a cause you know nothing about.'_

'_Who are you?'_

_'Yorick Mori, the gravedigger of the Shadow Isles. I know everything about you Spirit Walkers, and I know that through the Order of the Shadows. You may remember this familiar face.' A shadow appeared behind Yorick, and it became alive. It was none other than Zed._

_'Z..ZED? There's no way Zed is alive.'_

'_Hmph, your master must have not taught you the gift of reanimation. The Shadow Isles holds many secrets kept from mankind, and reanimation is just one of many. Don't worry, you will see everything very soon, Spirit Walker. Hahaha.'_

_Udyr closes his eyes, and tries to run away. Zed catches up to him, and holds his blade under him._

_'Nobody escapes their shadow...'_

"NO! Ugh...Oh." Udyr screamed, as he woke up.

'_It wasn't real...but it had to be. The Shadow Isles, and the Order of the Shadow, they all still exist. I have to stop them.'_

Udyr got dressed, and sent a message out to Jin, and Yasuo. Since they were both warriors for Ionia now, they had to find some time to meet up and talk about their new jobs and everything new in their life, but most importantly to break down the details of what Udyr considered to be the next big important mission.

Ahri was upset with Yasuo's decision to leave her home. "Why, on your day off, do you decide you're too busy to be with your wife?"

"Sorry honey, but this is one of the few opportunities I'm going to get to talk to everyone again."

Ahri grabbed Yasuo's hand. "You know, it's been an entire year by the end of today. That exile girl won't have to stay here anymore…"

"Yes?"

"Why don't we go out on a little date later today, just me and you?"

"I guess. It will technically be our anniversary anyway."

Ahri smiled, and let go of Yasuo. "See you later sweetheart!"

_'What could I be called for this early?'_

They met at Yasuo's post, where Udyr had a dark look on his face.

"Gentlemen, how has your normal life been?"

Jin and Yasuo looked at each other in confusion. They also knew by the sound of it that it wasn't going to be a normal meeting. Something was going to happen to them very soon.

"Well, let's get down to what I wanted to talk about. We've had a year to rest, but I'm afraid that rest will soon end."

Yasuo put his hands on the table. "What?! Who is it now?"

"I really hate to say this…" Udyr looked at the ground. "Zed is alive."

Jin couldn't believe it. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

Yasuo had fear struck in his eyes. "How? He died by my own blade!"

"…It would take too long to develop the entire story, but remember when he said that the order of the shadow would live on? He is a living corpse being revived by the gravedigger, Yorick. I'd say we have a few days at best before we have to fight him again, along with his order of followers."

Jin protested. "We just started getting back to our regular lives, and you expect us to leave everyone again?!"

Udyr standed up, and started getting serious. "You think I want this? You think I want to leave my SON here in town while I'm out doing whatever the hell I could be doing? I DON'T WANT THIS! However, ignoring it isn't an option. I'm sorry, Jin and Yasuo. I need you two."

Both Yasuo and Jin were stuck with fear, sadness, and lament. What they had worked so hard for was about to disappear once again.

_'I am use to killing…no, I was almost born into it. My whole life feels like it was consistent of me being abused, lied to, framed, and still not forgiven even through the countless amounts of hours I spend all day trying to fix this terrible life. I met Ahri, who gave my life a better purpose and a defining role in my life. I wanted to protect someone so I could feel value to this life by helping another, but now I'm starting to feel like I'm just toying with the emotions of others. Sometimes I wonder what life would have been if I insisted on being normal and not following the way of my brother…would I have still met Ahri? Would I have still gone through betrayal and unnecessary punishment? I wonder where I could be in life.'_

"Yasuo, take it easy. Ahri is very deceptive and will try to pour out her heart to you. She has gone through similar times so I don't see why-"

"Shut up." Yasuo put his hand on his sheathe ready to take out his sword any second.

"Excuse me?"

"Listen to yourself. Acting like you know Ahri the way I do. You will never know someone until you get down to the core of their personality and lifestyle like I have."

"I've known her for countless amounts of years, so I think I deserve the merit of knowing what she is like."

"You have no idea, Spirit Walker."

Udyr took his backpack, and started off back home. "Well then, swordsmen, enjoy getting through with your wife. We meet here at dawn tomorrow, no earlier and no later. Get some rest you two."

'_I know that they are both going to take this either very easily or somehow very wrong. They have grown from having a strong heart to lacking the fundamentals of actually caring for your family enough to leave them for the greater good. I've done it enough to know that feeling, and I can understand why they seem so rushed. I just started a family for the first time, and I can't believe I'm forcing myself to separate once again. I trust both of them will still be able to find a way to get through. Nidalee…I'm sorry for lying to you about having a normal life, but I know this is the correct response to end the order of the shadow at this moment so that our son can have the childhood that I never because I was constantly fighting.'_

Yasuo decided to catch up on what Riven was doing before he went home. Yasuo knocked on her door, and was soon let in.

"This house seems quite big for one, don't you think, Riven?"

"I was hoping to make this more of a sociable place since I teach now. Anyways, was there something you want to talk about?"

Yasuo sat down on the couch, and put his blade on the table. "Oh, I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. I know adapting to this kind of life isn't always easy. Unfortunately for me, I have to re-adapt soon."

"Why?"

"Trouble lies ahead. I can't speak of what it is, but I'll have to leave my post."

Riven poured Yasuo a glass of wine. "I'm sure it should still be a breeze for a swordsmen like you. I know I wouldn't even be able to attempt to fight for how long I've been away."

Both of them enjoyed their wine as they continued on about how long it has been ever since they had ever really fought or done anything out of the ordinary apart from their daily lives. The only time Riven brought out her sword was for her classes with young Ionians, and as the occasional cookie-cutting tool.

"Well, it's getting dark. If I don't get home now, the wife will surely be mad."

"Speaking of which, how is Ahri doing?"

"She hasn't changed much; she is still very emotionally attached to me. I don't know how I'm going to break it to her that I need to leave."

Riven hugged Yasuo as he set out the door and grabbed his sword. "If you need any help, I'll be right here."

"Thank you, Riven. Take care now."

_'Well, now I've gone off the deep-end. How do I explain why I am out so late?'_

Yasuo got home rather quick, and Ahri was outside waiting for Yasuo with Annie in her arms sleeping.

"You sure took long, what's the meeting about?"

"Boring work stuff, do you still want to go out?"

Ahri put her arms out. "Put the little one to bed, first!"  
Yasuo took Annie out, and put her in her room. Annie opened her eyes before Yasuo left her room. "Yasuo…will I start seeing you more?"

Yasuo got upset off of that question, but gave a simple response: "Maybe someday, little angel. Goodnight."

Ahri took Yasuo to a restaurant that they had never been to before because of how expensive it was. Now that Yasuo had a job, and didn't have to pay off for Riven, it was more affordable. The atmosphere was really nice, and the food was the best in town.

Ahri tried to look at Yasuo, but his face would always tilt towards the table.

"Is something wrong, Darling?"

"No, why?"

"You have that look on your face that makes you look worried. I don't want you to feel worried about anything on our date!"

"It's hard to be calm when I feel so…"

"So what?"

"I don't even know the word for it. I'm just stressed out that I need to be the protector of Ionia, and that I would have to go back to my old self and start killing again. I wish life didn't give me that."

"Why do you think this? Are you not telling me something?"

Yasuo kept his mouth shut, because he didn't want to say anything. Ahri put her hand under Yasuo's head, and got him to look up. "Sweetheart, I will listen to anything you have to say."

Yasuo decided to lie instead of upset the mood. "I might get promoted soon, but that could mean I have to learn how to become a warrior again, when all I want is to be regular and have a family."

Ahri kissed Yasuo. "You didn't have to hide that from me. I trust you more than I've trusted anyone, Yasuo. I love you."

Yasuo felt a strike to his heart when he heard that.

_'I'm already going to hell, but now I've just dug deeper. If I wanted to be abrupt, I could spoil the whole plan right now, but I don't think that's the correct response still. I know that I must leave you, Ahri, but it pains me to do so.'_

The dinner table was pretty silent after that conversation. The two ate, paid, and went back home. Yasuo tried to act normal because he didn't want Ahri to know that he was going to leave. Yasuo had heard of Ahri's past and how she had been constantly left without notice, and Yasuo didn't want to be next in line. They went home, and Yasuo went to his room for a bit. He got a call from Udyr.

'_Is everything there okay? Have you told her you need to leave?'_

_'I don't think I should.'_

_'You know what's happened to her. She will feel worse if you leave without notice.'_

_'How am I supposed to do it?'_

'_There are no tricks to it. Tell her straight up, and get over with it. She will most likely cry and beg you to stay, but don't listen to her.'_

_'Alright then, I see there is no other choice…'_

Yasuo hung up, and sighed briefly. It was a few moments later that Yasuo knocked on Ahri's door. Ahri answered almost immediately. "Come in!"

Yasuo had entered. "Ahri, are you still awake? I need to talk to you…"

Ahri closed the door behind Yasuo, and shoved him to her bed. "My thoughts exactly."

Yasuo was confused. "Ahri, what's the matter?"

"Tell me Yasuo, who were you just on a call with?"

"Udyr. What's the matter?"

"You weren't planning on leaving me here with Annie, were you?"

"W-what?"

"I heard your little conversation, Yasuo…" Ahri gave Yasuo a deadly stare. "You weren't planning…on leaving me tonight…were you?"

"I…well…"

"STOP FUCKING WITH ME YASUO!"

Yasuo was done holding back. "YES, I AM LEAVING YOU. I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE."

Ahri's face went from red to pale, and she stood up. "You're just walking out on me, after we finally get alone time?"

Yasuo tilted his head. "I have to protect this family, and Ionia. The Order of the Shadow is still alive."

Ahri put her hands on her face as she whimpered on her bed sheets. "Do you know how many men I've had walk out on me after I confess my love for them?"

"Ahri…"

"ANSWER ME!"

"No. I don't, but I do know that it's in our best interest to protect this place."

"You don't even care for this family, Yasuo! You're out half the day and don't even give me any notice."

"I work hard because I love this town, and I love you, but I'd be a terrible person to let anyone harm either you or this town."

Ahri continued to weep on her pillows, as Yasuo got up and opened the door. Ahri grabbed him one last time. "Please don't go. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Sorry miss. This needs to happen." Yasuo closed the door and left in the blink of an eye. Ahri stopped crying for a bit, and followed him.

"Stop leaving me…everyone leaves me."

Yasuo was too fast for Ahri to catch. He left in the dark night for his destination, while Udyr and Jin still had to tell their wives they had to leave. Udyr in particular wasn't very happy of how he had to tell Nidalee. He put Soul to sleep, and went to their room where Nidalee was eagerly awaiting Udyr.

"Nidalee, we need to talk. This place is no longer safe."

"Hmm?" Nidalee was scratching her paws.

"You know it pains me to say this, but…I'm leaving."

"WHAT?! Why?"

"Nidalee, Zed is still alive, and the shadow of dawn is awakening. If we do not stop them now, it will overcome the light. I need to go right now, the others are on their way already."

Nidalee stopped Udyr. "Udyr, let me come with you."

"No, you need to stay here with our child."

"Why? Do you think we can't 'fend for ourselves? You were fighting with your master at a young age!"

"I don't want you to get hurt again!"

"Udyr…" Nidalee started getting angry, but also sad. "What if I just stayed here…with Ahri….when you went to kill Lissandra. You would be dead without us, can you not understand this?"

"No, I understand your pain. I fear that our son isn't ready for battle yet. I haven't trained him like my master did. I'm sorry, but this is something only I can do, along with Yasuo and Jin."

"No…WAIT!" Nidalee couldn't stop Udyr.

'_What gives him the idea we are in danger? All this talk about the shadow of dawn, and the darkness overcoming the light, what is he leaving me out on? Regardless, I won't let you get away this easily, Udyr.'_


	2. Chapter 1 - No More Heroes

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 1: No More Heroes

The sun was still out of sight while Udyr, Yasuo and Jin were walking back to their original meeting place. Udyr and Yasuo felt pain from leaving, but Jin was a different story. Jin came home that night to a horrifying sight:

_Jin opened his door, and saw a twisted reaper laughing while holding out a lantern. "Who are you?"_

_The reaper looked over, and put down his lantern and chain. He opened it up, and took out a soul. "I'm sorry; I think I stole this from you without your permission."_

_"What is that?" Jin looked closer, to see his wife and children screaming for help. Jin's eyes widened and he was filled with rage when he realized that this man had captured them inside of that soul. "You…you MONSTER!"_

_"Don't worry, Ionian. Your family will reside safely in my lantern." The man put the soul back into the lantern, and used his chain to whip Jin to the ground. "I wouldn't try and fight me. You won't win."_

_"TRY ME, YOU FREAK!" Jin shot out two lightning bolts from his palms, but the man absorbed the bolts with his lantern. Jin tried rushing him, but he was thrown backward by his chain. He screamed in pain, and clenched his head._

_"Pathetic. I was hoping I didn't have to do this, but I think I'll leave you with something nice to sleep to…ahahahahahah." Jin closed his eyes, and he felt a sudden flash. He was in a room with a bunch of souls, and the room was extremely dark. Jin started running to a light, but when he approached it the light became enveloped with darkness. The dark spoke out:_

_'No…more…heroes…'_

_Jin got back up after falling to the ground. 'WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?'_

_A soul came behind Jin. It was the voice of a dying elder. 'Leave this place. Save yourself.'_

'_What is this place?'_

_'Hell…if I know. There is no fighting the shadows of dawn, or else you will end up like us.'_

_Jin saw many images in his head. He saw his wife, Krystal, and she was holding their children. She was trying to run away with them from a man similar to who Jin saw. Krystal fell to the ground when her feet were hooked to the ground and she screamed in pain. The vision ended with the same laugh._

_'That fiend did all of this? I have to do something!'_

_'You can't. Run, before you lose everything. Just…give up…'_

_'Never.'_

_ Jin held his fists up, and his dream was broken as he woke up in the same position. Jin was relieved that he was still alive, but he had a grim look._

_"This has to do with Zed. Every one of them…I'll kill every one of them."_

Jin was at the station before Udyr and Yasuo showed up. He held the same grim look on his face as before. The only one who hadn't received a vision yet was Yasuo, who still had his doubts about the mission. From everything that Yasuo had undergone, he wouldn't have even been bothered if he had seen something horrifying

"It is time." Udyr said, as they set out for the Shadow Isles. They thought surely there would be some meaning to their messages in that place.

Yasuo stopped Jin. "You don't seem normal. Did your wife disapprove of you…uh-"

Jin looked back, with his grim face. "I don't know where she is, but by the end of this mission I'll be sure to ask her."

"I'm…really sorry for asking that. I had no idea."

"Don't be sorry. The only who should be sorry is those bastards who took my family from me."

Jin wasn't ever like this at all. He felt that his family was something he would never see again when he was in Noxus. After so many years of work and exhaustion, he came back to Ionia. Yasuo only hoped that Jin wouldn't try and go too berserk for his own good.

Udyr felt a disturbance near. "Keep your guard up. Something is near."

The wind came by, and the ground began to tremble. They heard the screeching sound of ghouls in the air, and then they felt stuck to the ground, like they were in quicksand.

They heard a loud command from a distance. "Rot."

Udyr looked down, and saw hands reaching up and grabbing all of them. "Watch it, Yasuo, Jin! It's underground."

"Haunt."

'_Where is that voice coming from? It sounds like it is commanding the zombies to attack_. _If we manage to take it out, then we should be freed.'_

"Arise, ascended PHOENIX! Go back to hell, you terrible creatures!" Udyr shot out a mega inferno blast that burnt the zombies to a crisp and freed Yasuo and Jin. "Yasuo, find whoever is calling these zombies out. Jin, you take care of the rest of these undeads with me."

Yasuo was first to react. He went straight forward from where he heard that commanding voice. Then, he heard it again.

"Have you come to dig your own grave, just as your brother, Yasuo?"

"Who the hell said that?!"

Yasuo was hit to the ground in the back of his head by a large shovel. Yasuo turned over, and saw Yorick. He blocked Yorick's next attempt to knock him out. "How do you know me?"

"The Order of the Shadow knows all, swordsmen. You seem distraught fighting me, so I'll have my minions finish you off."

"You underestimate me, gravedigger!" Yasuo raised his blade, and ran straight at Yorick for an opening strike.

"Summon." Yorick raised his shovel, and conjured the ghouls around him to raise a specific minion of his. As soon as the zombie was conjured, Yasuo fell over in fear.

"That's…that's impossible!"

"Yasuo, you should've killed me when you had the chance…" It was Riven, the Exile.

Yasuo feared that it was a reanimation of Riven because she had her sword with her, but it looked too real. "You aren't real. YOU AREN'T RIVEN!"  
"You insult me. I have to kill you now." Riven landed all of her broken wing slashes on Yasuo, who was in too much shock to even attempt a block.

"How can a reanimation be exactly like the original?"

Yorick snapped his fingers, and Riven fell to the ground. She dropped her blade, and looked up in confusion.

"Er..Yasuo? What am I…or what are we doing here?"

Yasuo couldn't contain himself, and he ran straight for Yorick. "YOU SENSELESS MONSTER; USING SOMEONE AS YOUR PUPPET!"

Yorick blocked every steel tempest from Yasuo, and Yorick went on the offensive once again. He knocked Yasuo's blade out of his hand, and Riven was still incapable of moving. Yorick choked Yasuo, and laughed.

"You never stood a chance to the Shadow Isles. Where there is light, darkness will always overcome it."

"Wrong." Yorick was shot in the back of the head, and fell over in pain. "I've come to purify you living demons to bring light back."

Yasuo caught his breath. '_Who is this man? Why did he save me?'_

"Lucian…aha, you couldn't even save your wife, and you expect to save these Ionians? You are only prolonging death."

Lucian didn't even change his tone. "Rest in peace, you bastard." Lucian executed Yorick with one last shot. "Waste of bullets." Then he looked over to Yasuo. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Who are you?"

Lucian gave out his hand to Yasuo and helped him get up. "We have no time to talk. I'm Lucian, and I'll give you the rest of the details after we get out of this hellhole."

Yasuo tried to go back. "Wait, RIVEN!"

"That's just a reanimation, don't be fooled!"

Riven got up, and with it she took her sword. She tapped on Lucian's shoulder. "Excuse me?"

Lucian looked back, and was surprised to see that she was still capable of moving. "Insanity, you survived the living puppet curse?"

"I don't know what that means, but I am alive and fully functional."

"I'll have to explain that later, too."

Yasuo pointed out Udyr and Jin, who were still fighting the undead. Lucian shot a round of bullets past their heads to take out a big group of them.

"What, who?"

Yasuo signaled them to run. "We have to run; they will just keep coming unless we leave."

Udyr transcended, and Jin took down his power level. They followed, and got out of there. It was a long way back to home, but they stopped soon after they were long gong from the Shadow Isles. Riven was exhausted by the time they finally reached a stopping point, and fell unconscious in Yasuo's arms. Yasuo sat down with Riven.

"You didn't deserve this, Riven."

Lucian came over to comfort Yasuo. "Is this your wife?"

"Oh…no. My wife is at home."

Lucian put his guns up. "You're a lucky man. My wife was taken from me by those bastards at the Shadow Isles. Whatever prejudice you hold against them, just know that I'll be right by your side taking down all of those monsters."

Udyr and Jin finally came over to where they were. "We can stop here for now. The sun is coming up as we speak, so we should rest for a bit until we are all at 100% again. Now that we are here, can you formally introduce yourself?" Udyr pointed to Lucian.

"Yes, I'm sorry for the sudden complications. The Shadow Isles isn't a place where one person could take down an entire army of zombies and live; hell knows I've tried countless amounts of times. Like I told Yasuo, my name is Lucian, and I want to join your mission in destroying those chumps who took away my life."

"You have a strong will, and a fighting spirit. It is easy for me to tell that you would be a great teammate for our journey. However, for now we need rest. You can fill us in on any of the other details later."

Lucian took off his jacket, and went to sleep where Yasuo and Riven were. Jin decided to stay awake and keep guard. Udyr wanted to, but he wasn't going to argue with Jin in his state of mind.

'_Life has given me many obstacles to my goal, but a true warrior will not be defeated by fear alone. The Order of the Shadow will have to try harder to get me to stop ripping those demons a new one. I only hope that my son is okay, and Nidalee is safe. If I can know this…then I can finally…rest…'_


	3. Chapter 2 - Nightfall

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 2: Nightfall

Jin watched as everyone woke up just a few hours later when the sun came up. Riven was still unconscious in Yasuo's arms when he woke up, and Udyr helped Yasuo get up. Lucian was the last of the group to wake up, for he was on a long journey already and suffered from loss of sleep. Regardless, he approached Yasuo:

"I know you told me that this girl is not your wife, but it is evident you care about her. I'll explain on the way there what I was talking about yesterday and we can go on to fixing the problem for sure."

Yasuo nodded, and put Riven on his shoulders as they went on to Ionia.

_'Riven, stay with me, my friend. I know that this might pain you, but your life must continue.'_

A few hours later…

It was getting dark outside, but the lights were still out. Udyr halted as they came to the crossroads where Ionia began, and walked up to the gate where Irelia was once again.

"Open the gates immediately; Riven needs attention."

"You expect me to open these gates to more strangers after just rebuilding my town? Get lost, Spirit Walker."

Udyr sighed. "You sure like to make things extremely complicated, don't you Irelia?"

"I've had enough of you, Udyr. You have left both your wives constantly and wish to come back like nothing has happened, and with people who present a potential threat to our own home?"

"Listen here, Irelia." Udyr gave Irelia a fierce stare. "I love this place more than I love my well being. If I hated this town, then I wouldn't entrust to build a family here, just like I wouldn't bring danger near. Now, unless you want to argue that you have somehow done more for the well being of this place than I have, then get the hell out of my face and open the gates."

Irelia did as he wished. "I will get back at you one of these days, Spirit Walker. You aren't half the man you used to be."

The gates opened, and Yasuo, along with Lucian, rushed in quickly with Riven still in his arms. They went straight to where Karma was located. Lucian knocked on the door, and Karma soon opened up when she saw Riven unconscious.

"The Exile doesn't seem to be in her best condition. What kind of dark magic is this that I presence in her?"

Lucian looked down at her. "I may not be qualified to talk, but I know this dark aura came straight from the Shadow Isles. It's like a curse that eats away a person's spirit until they succumb to the pain and become a living corpse."

"I see…follow me, immediately. This will need immediate attention." Karma took them to her room where she performed medical operations. It was a dark room that was lit up by a large array of candles with a thick scent.

Karma took off part of her dress, and her tattoos started glowing light green. "Put Riven over there where the light shines the brightest." Yasuo did as she said. "Strip her."

"Uh-...what?"

"Don't waste my time, Swordsman. This operation is extremely skin intensive. If anything at all fails, there is a chance she might die."

Yasuo had never seen a woman naked before and didn't believe it was right for a man to undress a woman. Even so, he did what he was told. Yasuo took off her shirt, and started to notice the wounds she always talked about on her arms and chest.

_'Riven, I can finally understand what this pain is that you spoke of. I would have rather learned without stripping you, but these wounds look so…so familiar'_

Yasuo put his hand on a particular mark on Riven's right shoulder, just under where her 'Z' scar was.

Karma became impatient. "Excuse me, Yasuo. I said strip the girl, not study her naked body."

Yasuo took his hands away, and backed off. He was still peculiar as to where he had seen that mark.

"The experimentation shall begin…_Jainaze Torio Kalatz…TON!"_

A chain of light was attached to Riven's chest, and Riven screamed in pain even though unconscious. Dark matter came out of where Karma was focusing her spirit energy.

Lucian took Yasuo out of the room to talk to him, and so that they would not interrupt the operation. "I've been starting to worry about something that doesn't quite make sense. The Exile shouldn't have survived this far after being cursed by Yorick."

"She has a strong will, but I too am confused. Since I expect that this operation will take a while, I need to see how my wife is doing, but will you tell me if she is alive?"

"I'll do what I can."

Yasuo left, and Lucian was still in query as he went back to where Jin and Udyr were.

_'None of what has happened makes any sense. Any normal person shouldn't survive more than 1 or 2 hours after being marked for death. Hell, they shouldn't even feel pain.'_

"Is she alive, Lucian?" Udyr wasn't worried as much as the others, but still wanted to know.

"Riven is alive…however, something is rotten here, but I can't figure out what it is…"

"What is it?"

"She should be dead right now, but instead she somehow lived through the curse that I've seen so many people fall victim to. The curse should have torn her spirit to shreds until she lost all control, and Yorick had every command of her until he snapped her out of it."

Jin stepped forward. "I think I know. Riven was here in Ionia while we left, but she was worried that the three of us were in danger. Surely she wouldn't have gone alone, so I believe she took Nidalee and Ahri with her to stop us. Somewhere along the line, they might have gotten lost or attacked."

Udyr didn't like the sound of that. "Those fools…damn it!" Udyr rushed straight out the door, and went home. Jin and Lucian ran along with him. Along the way, they saw Annie crying and sitting down next to an alley.

"Annie, what is the matter, child?"

"Bear...she's…Nidalee is gone!"

Udyr stopped breathing momentarily. "Where is my son?"

"Asleep."

"Soul is alive, at least. Don't worry little one, we will find her. Why are you wandering around the town? Isn't Ahri supposed to be watching you?"

"Fox lady kicked me out after Yasuo left…she was really mad and said she would get Yasuo back."

_'Ahri, what the hell is this? Kicking out a little girl after her mother just left. Nidalee just…wait…'_

"When was the last time you saw Nidalee?"

"She said she wanted to protect you, so she was gonna go after you. I saw her with Riven-"

Udyr gasped. "No…NO! Nidalee accompanied her after all?!"

Lucian stopped the both of them. "Jin helped me figure it out, but it was really simple all along. Your wives and Riven went as a group to where they thought they were doing. Yorick confronted them, and took Riven hostage. Nidalee isn't here and…"

Udyr stopped to think. _'The only one remaining…Ahri, who kicked out Annie after saying she wanted Yasuo back. Yasuo is on his way to…no way..this means…NO!' _Udyr just finally clicked. "Yasuo…HE'S IN DANGER! We need to get there RIGHT NOW!"

(Meanwhile, Yasuo enters his house.)

"It's dark in here, and yet it is so light out." Yasuo flipped on a light, to see Ahri staring right in his face.

"You've been away long, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

Yasuo, startled, fell backwards to the door. "Don't scare me like that, Ahri. I thought you were in danger. Riven is in extreme pain, and Nidalee is gone. Were you with either of them?"

"I'll explain, but first…come with me." Ahri pulled him to their room, where she later started explaining. "Yes, I did accompany those two girls. I didn't want you to just leave me…" Ahri had Yasuo sit down on her bed. "So I told them that we should try and fight alongside them. On our way, we were assaulted by this zombie looking creature, and his army of ghouls."

"Y-Yorick?!"

"Who knows…" Ahri hopped on the bed and lied down. "What I do know is that the Exile girl will not get in my way this time."

"What? You know what happened to her?"

Ahri nodded. "She was the first one to get taken down by that Yorick fellow. He conjured a living image of her, and it looked like her soul was transferred from one to another…"

"WHAT?!" Yasuo tried to snap up, but he was paralyzed and couldn't move a bone.

'_What is this? My body won't function. You can't be serious!'_

"Calm down honey, you need not try and move. It will only make this harder."

_'I should've known, but I was too damn blindsided to think that she would try something on me.'_

"You haven't even heard the conclusion yet…Nidalee managed to run away, but Yorick offered me the gift of immortality in exchange for a portion of my soul essence. Take a look…" Ahri flipped a part of her hair on her right side to show the same mark that Riven had on her right shoulder. "I should feel pain, but immortality has taken away that from me. I want to tell you this because I want you to become immortal with me, so we can live together without anyone getting in our way."

"You made a pact with the enemy, and for what cause? Are you INSANE?"

"Love goes a long way, Yasuo. Just quiet down for a bit, I want to enjoy this moment." Ahri rolled over to Yasuo, and put her hand under his head. Then the next moment, they heard a large bang on the front door.

Yasuo could hear Lucian in the distant. "YASUO, GET AWAY FROM HER!"

"There is no need to listen to anyone but me." She put her hands over his ears, and kissed Yasuo. Ahri was slowly taking away the soul essence that Yasuo had.

"ASCENDED BEAR!" The door was struck down by a powerful slam by Udyr. "God damn that hurt! YASUO, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Ahri whispered to Yasuo, "This will be one moment, dear." Ahri then got off Yasuo, and walked out harmlessly. "You could've knocked, silly!"

"Shut the hell up, where is Yasuo?"

"Hmm? I was wondering the same thing. I haven't seen him since he left."

Lucian put both his guns up. "Don't even try, we know what you did, you traitor."

"I see…" Ahri looked at the ground, and her spirit energy flew through the room. She looked up at them with her fiery eyes and agitated look. "NO ONE WILL GET IN MY WAY ANYMORE!" She dashed and fired spirit bolts all across the room, but none landed.

Lucian caught Ahri off guard, and aimed for her head. "Give it up."

"Why don't you come closer and say that?" Ahri yanked Lucian towards her, while Lucian fired off a shot. Ahri laughed, and leaned over to Lucian's ear. "Immortal…"

Udyr shoved Ahri to the side before she could do anything. "Be careful, you idiot! One more false move and she could've killed you." Udyr pinned Ahri to the nearest wall. "Tell me where my wife is, and where Yasuo is."

"Okay, but on one condition..."

"And what if I decide to say no?"

"Then have fun guessing where your wife is on your own, Spirit Walker."

Udyr punched the wall. "You little…what is the condition?"

"You can let me down and stop bothering me, or you can kiss me. Your Choice."

Udyr let Ahri down. "Go to hell."

"Believe me, Udyr. You and Yasuo have already given me that experience. Now, when it comes to whereabouts on your wife, I cannot confirm her exact location. What I will say is that she is alive, but somewhere within the Shadow Isles."

Lucian asked a question. "What happened to Riven, and where is Yasuo?"

"Riven decided to play hero, but ended up losing her body to Yorick. Yasuo came here just a moment ago, but he left after me telling him about Riven. Poor thing is still concerned."

"You're lying."

Ahri put her hands behind her back. "Suit yourself, but it is the truth."

"If you really have no Idea where Yasuo is, do you mind if I take a visit to your room?"

Ahri's eyes widened. "…How did you?"

"I can read you liars like an open book. After three years of gambling, it's practically stealing money." Lucian and Udyr entered her room, and saw Yasuo on her bed. Yasuo was awake, but he was in so much shock that he still couldn't move or talk.

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing…I wish we could've done something however. I only paralyzed his body momentarily so that he wouldn't react to anything."

Lucian studied Yasuo for a moment, and looked back at Ahri, who still tried to act like nothing happened.

_'This down is full of loony tunes like this Fox girl. I need to keep my eyes open.'_

"Let this be a warning, Ahri. Stay out of our way." Udyr and Lucian left, with Yasuo. Ahri laughed as they went on out.

"Next time you two get in my way, I won't be so easy…"

Lucian and Udyr went back to see how Riven was doing, while Jin took Yasuo and Annie to his house where he could help Yasuo and get more intel from Annie.

Lucian was the first to enter the room where Karma was exhausted from her operation.

"Will she live, Karma?"

"Most likely, but this curse isn't like anything that I have had to cure from the Shadow Isles. It wasn't spirit intensive, but it fed off this mark on her shoulder. I couldn't get rid of it, because it is connected to the arteries that pump blood into her heart. However, I sealed most of it so she shouldn't be possessed for the time being."

"Can you wake her up? I need to talk to her."

"She needs rest, but if you insist…make it quick." Karma put her hand over Riven's forehead, and sent a shock to her brain to wake her up.

"L…Lucian…Udyr? Where is Yasuo?"

"Don't worry about Yasuo right now. We have to talk about what happened to you. Do you still feel pain?"

Riven put her hand over her chest, and realized she had no shirt on. Her face turned bright red, and the others laughed.

Karma calmed her down. "All of them have seen you naked, so there is nothing to hide, child."

"Ugh…well I still feel a sharp pain in my chest, and on my right shoulder. I can hardly remember a thing because of how tired I am. The last memory of me was seeing Yorick, and then fighting Yasuo…then I collapsed. I wish Yasuo was here."

"RIVEN! RIVEN!" Yasuo burst open, and Jin couldn't keep up with him. "Riven, you're awake?"

Riven was glad to see Yasuo, but still felt embarrassed to have him see her naked body.

"Riven, I know where I've seen that mark on your shoulder."

"You do?"

Yasuo looked angry at finally realizing what that mark represented. He would have rather not remembered, but now that he has regained his memories, the pain came back, as a wolf cried out to the moon and he sat down next to Riven and looked at her shoulder once again.

_'I can't believe that bastard Zed would do this…we will pay him back tenfold.'_

(More Chapters Coming Soon)


	4. Chapter 3 - Twilight

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 3: Twilight

Yasuo was absolute this time: he wanted the Order of the Shadow completely destroyed once he figured out what the strange mark on Riven's shoulder was.

"That mark…is the mark of the Black Rose. I know, because my brother joined the Black Rose in search of answers."

The entire room gasped. Karma was the only one who held silent. "Yone, I knew he was a fool at heart. After years of teaching him, he denied everything about his family and ancestors. He was a man who would take every possible step to find answers, and joining that order would of course be an answer to him. How did you realize this, Yasuo?"

Yasuo looked at the ground abruptly, trying to remember the few last days he saw him. "Very long ago, before Noxus invaded Ionia. He told me he would surpass me and find answers. I told him he was foolish for wanting to dig deeper into the bottomless grave he was making. After the invasion, he still thought I was innocent, until one day…I believe he was told to kill me. I didn't think Ionia wanted me dead, so this makes more sense. One of the leaders of the Black Rose must have given him Intel or reason to kill me to figure out his past. Yone was unsuccessful, but now I fear that…Yone is alive."

Karma tried to calm down the room. "Death may not be permanent for those foolish enough to hand over their soul, but one thing for sure is that they are beatable."

Udyr chimed in. "I agree. Zed, Yone, Yorick…they may all still exist, but they have to die sometime. All we need to do is eliminate the source."

Yasuo was silent. "I still can't believe this is real. We have to kill Zed again, and I'm going to have to discipline my brother once again. I thought it was all over, and it hasn't even begun."

_'Yone, your father would condemn the route you have chosen just to find your past, but what is it all for in the end? You have given away your life, and become a living corpse…Maybe this time you will rest in peace.'_

Riven was able to stand, but she couldn't walk easily, so Yasuo helped her along the way. Karma ordered Yasuo to take her home, and let her rest. In the meanwhile, everyone else, except for Jin who decided he wanted to walk his own path, stayed and talked about the possibilities of how to fight back. Karma came to a decision:

"This war is too close, and I fear that there is too much at stake. You all are still in a weak condition to take on the heart of the Shadow Isles. I want Udyr, Udyr's son, Lucian, and Yasuo to train for seven years in hyper reality, where time moves faster than it does in real life. I can create many instances of hyper reality, but it requires a good amount of power on my end. Are you all up for this task?"

Udyr was shaken by Karma's statement. "Why are you brining my son into this situation in which he has no cause over?"

"Spirit Walker, listen up. If Soul becomes strong enough, he will become a vital player in our mission. If you sit by and let him stay here, he might be without a mom and dad permanently, or for a long period of time. Would you rather have this happen, or watch him grow with you as your master did? Do you disapprove of your Master?"

Udyr held his fist by his side. "I do not regret my Master's choice, but I felt like I never had a normal child life that everyone else had. I want that for my son, not to grow up and become a ruthless beast like me. You don't have a family, so of course you don't understand my fatherly attachment to Soul."

"LISTEN TO ME UDYR! You either let him grow up to make his own decisions, or you ignore his right to be able to choose his life. I understand you want Soul to be a normal child, but he has the potential to become a great warrior!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU HAG! I don't want my boy to be anything like me; I want him to know what it is like to have friends, to have family, to have everything that my bastard Father never gave me…" Udyr started to cry as he remembered his past, and being left behind only to be picked up by his Master. Lucian consoled Udyr.

"Spirit Walker, I think she makes a valid point. Your feelings for Soul may get in the way of his own decision making, and he might not be able to grow up by himself if you don't allow for this to happen. I may not know your feelings because I never had kids, but I do know what it is like to have a bond so strong you do not ever want it to be broken. You just need to trust us, Udyr."

"I…I just want to protect Soul."

"If you train with him in hyper reality, then you can get exactly that. You can watch him grow, and become strong and independent."

Udyr finally snapped out of it. "Okay then, I will allow this."

Karma nodded. "I'm glad you came to your senses, young one. Now that we have sorted that out, go get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day for me, and for all of you."

Udyr offered to let Lucian stay with him, and he accepted. Before Udyr went to sleep, he wanted to check up on his son, Soul. He saw him in his small cradle, sound asleep.

"Son, I love you more than I love life itself. I know you will grow to become a better man than me."

With that statement, Udyr went to his room and went straight to sleep. Oddly enough, he dreamt about his past endeavors. He saw his Master taking him to an old festival in Ionia. His memory was vivid of that day:

'_I hope that this event does not get you attached to the life of a regular Ionian, Udyr. I just thought that it would be right of me to show you around the town where I grew up.'_

_'Master, can I ask you a few things?'_

_'Anything.'_

_'What were my parents like?'_

_Udyr's master hesitated. 'I knew your parents quite a bit actually. Your mother, she was the sweetest person that any boy could ask for. It wasn't her decision to give you up to me, but she would always send letters to me asking how little Udyr was doing. I would always tell her I saw the spitting image of a better man than your Dad. Your father…I don't like to talk about him. He was a very inconsiderate and selfish man, and he deprived you off of what a family feels like. No child should ever have to live without knowledge of what a family looks like. I wish I could give you that myself, but I am by myself.'_

_'Why do I not remember my parents?'_

_'You were just a little cub when I took you under my wing, Udyr. Your memory is quite better than my old memory, but I do believe that you were in your early years of childhood when your parents told me that they could not take care of you, and I offered to make a man out of you! I hope that you can one day become a greater teacher to me than I am to you.'_

_'No fair, master! I can't think of anyone better than you.'_

_He laughed back. 'I'm sure you will become stronger.'_

_'Lastly, however, what is your real name?'_

_'…Well…' He looked awkwardly at that question. 'I'll tell you what: I will tell you everything you need to know when the time is right! I'll even see if I can get your mother to come see you again!'_

_'That's awesome, I can't wait!'_

_I waited for that moment my entire life, and had to witness my master fall into the hands of that Ice Witch. Now, I still have questions everywhere in my mind about my past. If anything, I am happy that my master did what he could…I just hope…to be...even better…_

A couple hours later, Udyr woke up. Lucian woke up as well, and he got up and ready before Udyr could leave his room. Lucian knocked at his door.

"Hey, are you ready for today?"

"As ready as I will ever be. Let me get my Son, and we will get started."

Udyr got on some old robe that he used to wear around the forest when he was teaching Nidalee. He wanted to go into this hyper reality with the intent to fully teach his son everything he had to offer him. Udyr took him from his Cradle, and carried him on his back. When they got back to Karma's place, Karma laughed at Udyr carrying in his son.

"You really do look like your father, Udyr."

Udyr hesitated. "You knew my father?"

"Hardly, but I do remember what he looked like. I can tell you more after your training, but I need you to start training immediately. I can already feel these hyper realities straining on me."

Udyr decided not to stay and ask questions, because he knew it would just be a waste of time. He entered the first realm, and Yasuo entered the second along with Lucian.

"Hyper reality 1 and 2…_Jinkai Salamez…TON!"_ Karma closed both gates, but still held them up with her Ionian magic. She had to stay in her exact location, otherwise the instances would break and they would be trapped in hyper reality for eternity. The magic that she had to concentrate for one hyper reality isn't too straining, but having two completely paralyzes most body functions from the amount of strain.

_'I'm counting on you four to do everything necessary to grow stronger in these seven years.'_

(Hyper reality – Instance #1 – Udyr and Soul – Day 3)

"Son, can you stand up straight?"

Soul fell to the ground again, and cried. "I'm a failure!"

"Relax, child. You have seven years to get this technique right. It took me long to get it, but I would have never gotten it right if my master hadn't pushed me hard enough. Now stand like this." Udyr stood straight up, and lifted off the ground after linking his spirit energy and sending it to his feet.

Soul did exactly as Udyr did, and for a moment he was off the ground. He was so pressured into doing good, that his spirit energy went from his feet to his chest. He fell flat on his face, and felt sad once again. This time, Udyr gave him his hand to help him get up.

"Dad, why are you helping me up? I keep on failing you…I'm not a warrior."

Udyr laughed. "I love your rough criticism of yourself, Soul. You really are like your Father. You know, my master always use to have this old saying: _A mother bird nurtures and cares for her little one, and she watches her little one grow up every day until they can fly on their own. Until then, it is the mother's responsibility to help that little bird grow. If I let you fall, it is a sign that I am allowing you to grow on your own, but if I sit there and watch you fall over and over again, it is a sign that I have created a deep bond of trust with you. For one day, I know that you will spread your wings and fly, and become strong._ Soul, I can see you trying over and over again, and I see you continually getting better. If I had no confidence in you, I would stop you from falling. I trust that you will become great, so I allow you to fall, but will be there to help you get back up."

Soul sobbed as he heard this, and gave Udyr a hug. "Thanks Dad, I love you."

"I love you too, Son. Now then, let's get back at it."

(Hyper Reality – Instance #2 – Lucian and Yasuo – Day 34)

"Dodge THIS!" Yasuo's sweeping wind send Lucian into the air, and Lucian reacted quickly to the next attack. He blocked the strike from Yasuo, and counter-attacked with a kick to the ground. Yasuo was in a bit of pain, but he laughed it off. "Impressive showing, Lucian. You are both adept at long ranged combat and close quarter combat."

"I use to be more of a fighter myself, but that was way back in the day. I can still remember being able to fight off all those thugs who attacked her…"

"Your wife?"

"Yes. It's a past that I'd rather not touch on, because it brings too much pain to say her name. I sometimes lose sleep at night wondering if I could have saved her if I was stronger. It really pains me…"

"I sometimes wondered the same with my brother. I didn't intend on killing him, but he left me no choice. I saw that mark of the Black Rose, and knew he had no future ahead of him. The only unfortunate thing is that I didn't give him a proper resting place, so this time I'll have to dig his grave."

Lucian kept on fighting while the two were talking. "You make it sound like you were just a shadow of your brother growing up. Is this accurate, Yasuo?"

"It could be, but I gave no heir to what those fools thought of me. I left all that back with my old self before I was accused. Even now, I still feel like I am not a part of this Ionia that I once used to live in." Yasuo had blocked every bullet fired at him with his steel tempest.

"You fought for what seemed like a greater good in the end, and broke ties with your past. Have you found amenity in your life of burnt bridges and broken paths?"

"Surprisingly enough, I have not. That is my only purpose to life: to amend what has been broken by those that have taken it away. It would have been all over if I decided to kill Riven, but I soon realized that wasn't the answer. The answer lies within those monsters in the Order of the Shadow; the ones that abused the nature of power and have destroyed so much with it. I have seen too much come from it, and I want it all to end."

"I see, so that is why you chose to openly walk on this path. I commend you for your honesty, Yasuo. Let's take a break for now."

(Reality)

'_This strain is getting to the point where I can't seem to control the nature of my power. If this persists, then I might fall unconscious or break the hyper realities. Those four better get something out of this-'_

The door was bust open. Karma hesitated for a second, but looked over to see a large amount of dark energy intersect her beam of light. Next to it was none other than Yone, sniffing a black rose. "It's been too long, Miss. I really missed this desolate town."

_'I can't…believe he's already here…this is terrible!'_


	5. Chapter 4 - Delusional

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 4: Delusion

Karma was in fear of the situation she was put in. She didn't think for one second that Yone would have decided to return to Ionia.

"You fool, why have you come back?"

Yone opened his eyes after putting his black rose. "Karma, I don't remember you being so hostile. Regardless, I want to know: where is my brother?"

'_Damn, I had a feeling he was here for Yasuo. I'm going to have to take extreme measures.'_

Karma stood still. "I haven't seen your brother ever since you and everyone drove him out from accusation."

Yone threw a dagger to the side of Karma, grazing her right shoulder. "I would laugh, but I am in no mood. _Where the hell is he_?"

_'Shit. If I make any false movements, then everyone is lost in hyper reality. At the same time, if I get brutally wounded, the instances will vanish. There's only one answer to this situation…'_

"_Kaiev Kirivichi!" _Karma freed the right side of her body by merging both hyper realities and increasing the rate at which their time moves.

'_Karma, this is Udyr. What the hell is going on?'_

_'Keep calm, and continue training. I am in a dangerous situation and you four must get stronger in the meantime!'_

Yone lunged for Karma, but she side stepped it. "Your reaction time is too slow, Yone!" Karma entangled his right hand with an ethereal chain. Yone fell to the ground, and dropped his sword. Karma started to empower a mantra with her open arm, aiming it at Yone.

"Game over, you traitor."

Yone grinned. "Quite the opposite, Miss." Yone pulled the ethereal chain back, and infected the roots with a red dust-like substance. Karma lost her balance, and her mantra suddenly discharged.

"I never was the brightest in your class, but I never lost to dumb tricks. I know that the left side of your body is out of your control; therefore the only side to neutralize is your right."

_Meanwhile, in hyper reality:_

"You have to show more emotion, Yasuo! I can easily see the weak points in your wind walls!" Udyr's Phoenix stance sent powerful blazes of fire through the weak points in his wall.

_'He's right. If I want to protect my friends, I will need to be able to conjure a storm so powerful that not even Poseidon could collapse it. My lack of motivation has gotten to me recently.'_

_The instance started shaking, and everyone was confused. 'This is Karma, you two need to finish training this instant!'_

Udyr smashed through Yasuo's wind wall as he heard this. Yasuo stood still for a second. "No…is Yone here?"

'_I'm afraid so, Yasuo.'_

"Let me take care of him…" Yone took out his sword. "He came looking the wrong place this time."

Karma nearly snapped the instances out of the pain from the dust. She had no strength left to even withstand it. Yone went on the offensive: "You just never knew when to quit. Let me finish this." Yone's blade was covered with static electricity, and he lunged forward with it. Sparks went flying from the air. Karma used the remainder of her power to open the hyper realities.

_'INSTANCE #1, DISPELL!'_

"FACE THE WIND!" Yasuo brewed up another storm, and created a wind wall strong enough to withstand the bolts of lightning. Yasuo hesitated for a second, but he pointed his blade straight at Yone when the smoke from the room cleared. "Yone, have you not learned enough yet?"

Yone laughed. "I must say, brother, I am impressed. You look much stronger than you did several years ago."

Yasuo didn't change his expression. He had a mix of emotions, but was mostly frustrated. "You betrayed our family, you left Ionia, and you joined a cult strictly forbidden by our clan. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I don't know, Yasuo. All I know is that I pursued the path my ancestors would've pursued. What kind of path have YOU TAKEN, BROTHER?" More sparks went flying from Yone's sword. Yasuo sliced the air, and deflected all the shock blasts with the wind.

"The only path that I could have asked for, after I killed you that is. Now all that is left is you finish you off again, and kill the remainder of the Shadow Order."

Yone dashed around Yasuo, and caught him from the back. "Now I need to hear this." Yone flipped him up and shattered the roof. Yasuo couldn't react fast enough, and was thrown to the back of a large building. "Let's have a chat, brother. What exactly have I missed in the time I was dead?"

Yasuo threw Yone back. "You must be affiliated with that fiend, judging from that mark on your shoulder. It looks just like hers…"

"Her?! You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend, Yasuo!"

Yasuo started to get aggressive. "It's because of you bastards that Riven can't live peacefully." Yasuo clashed with Yone multiple times, until finally Yasuo hit a steel tempest on Yone's chest, which pulled him upward. "Life consists of the guardians, and of those fools who think they are doing something for a greater good. It's people like YOU who make my life even harder!" Yasuo slammed his sword down on Yone, but it was blocked.

Yone tried to take it down a notch. "You don't even know your parents, brother…"

Yasuo, instead, raised it up. "GO TO HELL!" Yasuo was about to crush Yone into the ground, but he vanished.

'_Are you serious? There is no way he has gotten that fast.'_

"I thought you knew better, you little pest." Yone appeared behind Yasuo. Both clashed, and they eventually fell to the ground. "You know that I have powers beyond your imagination ever since I left living the life of ignorance."

Yasuo laughed. "Ignorance…funny that you pick such a word, brother."

"Enough." Yone put his sword down. "I merely want to talk. I have no motive in killing you just yet. Why do you enjoy living in the shadow of others? You were unable to surpass me even through death."

"You really piss me off, Yone. A warrior isn't made by strength or knowledge alone, but one's will to fight and protect those who are precious to them!"

Yone didn't have it in him to respect what Yasuo had to say. "That's ludicrous. I outshined you in your prime, and I could outlast you in a fight to the death if I wished. I gave up on the idea of honor and guilt, and I finally have the answers to my past. True strength lies within those who aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to get there."

Yasuo turned his back. "You haven't changed a bit. I already know there is no saving you any longer from what you have done, so the last option for me is to walk away." Yasuo started to leave, knowing Yone wouldn't attack him. Instead, he was halted.

"I have one last thing to ask: did you kill the exile who slandered your name?"

Yasuo grasped his sword for a second. "Her name…is Riven…and she is not a monster like you."

"I take it the answer is no, then. I knew you had a soft spot, but from what I understood when I was alive, you had revenge on your mind."

Yasuo took his hands off his sword. "Not anymore, Yone. That blindfolded path of misery is over, and it would have only created more emptiness to kill her. It is not that I love her, but I have strong feelings for her will as a warrior. She managed to escape from the hands of Zed and turn a new leaf."

"You say you don't love her, but then who is it that you love?"

Yasuo hesitated for a moment, because he was in doubt of his answer. "I would say my wife, but I do not know where she is, or what she is planning with her life now that she has fallen on the wrong path. Her name is Ahri, and she is a sweet person with a mix of emotions. For all that I know, she may not come back…Regardless, I am done with you. Don't come back to Ionia any longer, brother. I have no remorse for traitors."

Yone watched as Yasuo vanished in the wind. He was still quite unsure about what he had to say. _'What do you mean no remorse for traitors, brother? You made an exception for that exile girl, and you still have feelings for the wife that openly left you for the Shadow Isles. You are a hypocrite, and yet I can't say I didn't see it coming. We will meet again soon Yasuo, but I will not take you so lightly like I did that day you put me to rest.'_

Yasuo went back to Karma's place and the door was wide open. In it, he saw Udyr, Lucian, and Soul lying with Karma still unconscious. Yasuo called out to them. "Sorry about earlier, but what are we going to do now?"

Udyr got up. "There are a few options, but we have discussed the idea of storming the island we think Zed is most likely located in. You will take out the gatekeepers, and Soul and I can destroy Zed."

"Interesting, but what about Riven and Annie?"

"I don't want either of them involved. If Annie gets hurt, that is on me. If Riven gets hurt, that is on all of us. Not to mention, Riven is still dangerously wounded, and there is a slight chance she might still be in the hands of Yorick."

Yasuo tried to think it out in his head, and he forgot about Jin. "Where did Jin go?"

Udyr gulped, and looked to the ground. "We have bad news…"

"W-What is it?"

The whole room was silent for a moment. Udyr proceeded to tell Yasuo what he understood from what he saw in his vision and what he heard from his call with

(3 hours earlier)

"This place is full of unrest." Jin crawled through the Twisted Treelines of the forest where he knew the reaper would be. Without a doubt, it only took him a few minutes before he gazed straight into the eyes of the haunting ghoul.

Jin jumped off the tree he was spying off of, right behind the reaper. "Finally, you've shown your face."

The man looked behind, and gave a grin at Jin. "Hmm, back for more are we? You Ionians never know when to quit."

"Enough is ENOUGH!" Jin pounded the ground, and sent a fissure towards the reaper's direction.

"How delightful; this time I can _take you alive._" The reaper rushed towards him with his chain in his right.

"Bring it on!" Jin took out his two daggers. The reaper advanced, and was cut off by a glowing orb.

"Stop Thresh, he means no harm." It was Ahri, who stopped Thresh straight in his tracks.

Thresh put down his chain. "Oh, my bad sweetheart; I have a tendency to _killing things I hate._ I really need to fix that."

Jin was in so much shock, he dropped both his daggers. "What the hell is this? Ahri, why are you negotiating with the enemy?"

Ahri had a long look on her face. "Jin, you saved my life. I am merely doing something in return. Not only that, but you could've hurt Thresh." Ahri went to Thresh's side, and he patted her head.

Jin was furious. "THAT BASTARD TOOK MY WIFE AND CHILDREN AHRI! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

Ahri sighed. "Calm down, child. I have my own questions to ask of you."

"What do you want?"

"Is Yasuo coming for me?"

Jin's phone started going off. Udyr's voice called out: "Jin, give me a status update. Have you found anything? Yasuo wants to know where Ahri is when you find her."

"Y-Yasuo…" Ahri's heart sank to the ground for a second. "Hand me the phone, Jin."

"Like hell I will, you traitor!"

"I see, then." Ahri spirit rushed towards Jin, and punched him back to the ground. "I refuse to take no for an answer as long as I live." Ahri opened the phone. "Udyr, honey, where are you?"

"What the hell…"

"Calm down, Jin is fine…for now."

"Why are you in the Shadow Isles, you fool?"

Ahri laughed. "Maybe you should come and ask me in person. I really miss Yasuo and the rest of you."

"What have you done this time?"

Ahri decided to make things interesting. "If you want me back, you should come to the Twisted Treelines in the Shadow Isles. I'm not ignored in this place, am I, Thresh?" In the background, they could hear the haunted reaper laughing.

Lucian took the phone right out of Yasuo's hands. "What the hell did you say? THRESH, I'LL KILL YOU!"

The phone disconnected. Jin couldn't get up, and was dragged back by Ahri. "Don't even attempt to overcome my paralysis. It will only make things more complicated. In the meanwhile…Thresh."

"Say goodnight, Jin." Thresh stomped on Jin, and put more nightmares into his head. "Now then, who was that you were on a call with, darling?"

_'Yasuo…Yasuo might still like me. The next time I see him will determine for me if he really matters to me. In the meantime, I have to play with Thresh.'_

Ahri put her arms around Thresh. "He was just an old acquaintance from Ionia. Don't worry; you are all I need in this life."

(Present time, after Udyr told Yasuo everything)

"I also noticed in the vision there was a thick wave of spirit energy. It must mean that there are others who guard that place, and we need all the help we can get."

Yasuo clenched his fist by his side. "Ahri, why did you do this to yourself? I have no choice but to accept."

Lucian put his glasses on, and got out both his guns. "We're gonna need more coffins after those demons are done with us."

Udyr nodded. "Soul, this will be the proving grounds to show everything I taught you, Son." Soul smiled back.

Yasuo looked at Lucian. "Lucian…You and I will get our wives back. Even if I have to kill my brother again, I will get Ahri back."

'_This time, I can't allow anything to go wrong. I promised Miss that I would protect her, and with that promise I also need to make sure she doesn't fall to those demons either. _

"There is no more time to wait. We must continue our journey immediately."

_'Nidalee, Krystal, Senna…we are coming.'_


	6. Chapter 5 - The Black Shadow of Dawn

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 5: The Black Shadow of Dawn

The group decided to move on immediately. Instead of getting there by boat, Karma used an old Ionian technique allowing them to transport to places they had vision of.

'_Chisale Sa Eta Kyrievichi..'_

Everyone sat around Karma as she opened a circle that sped up time where they were. The time stopped, and they vanished from their place and landed into the same island where they had vision of Jin. The place was very foggy, and had huge amounts of spirit energy waving through the air.

"Udyr and Soul, you go down the path where all that energy is emitting from. Lucian and Yasuo, you go look for Jin and Thresh. I will stay here and use my foresight to warn you when you are closing in on the enemy. Good luck."

With that, Soul and Udyr ravaged off on their path. Yasuo stood still for a bit, and Lucian confronted him.  
"Yasuo, what is with the long look? We have no time to waste."

"My brother…is near…I can sense him from afar. Lucian, I want you to go on without me."

Lucian ignored his request. "You're crazy if you want to fight that guy alone. There is no way that you can take him-"

Karma interrupted. "You can't change his mind, Lucian. Yasuo has to be the one to kill Yone, and he has to do it alone."

Lucian grunted. "Fine, I'll just have to take all the kills to myself then."

"Karma…leave this area."

"Understood; be safe, young one." Karma vanished from the area.

_'Why are you here, Yone? Why do you insist on me having to punish you for the past enmities you have put between us, as well as our family? You always did everything according to law, and you would have never gone against our father like you did. Why then, Yone? WHY?'_

The wind shifted for a second, and it was blowing towards Yasuo now. He heard a tree branch fall, and he turned around to the area from where he heard it fall.

"You never were good at sneaking up on people, Yone."

Yone jumped out of the dark, and appeared before him. "I really didn't think you would come to this place, brother. Have you decided to join me?"

Yasuo instantly shifted his sword towards Yone, and let out a razor sharp wind gust just to the right of Yone. "I will say this for one last time. I have no tolerance for traitors, but most importantly…" Yasuo took it on the offensive, and dashed behind Yone. "You are not my brother."

Yone countered every attack Yasuo threw at him, as sparks went flying in each other's direction from the tip of their blades. Yasuo tripped, and Yone cut straight through Yasuo's armor.

"What a poor performance, Yasuo. You are already on deaths door and have failed to land one scratch on me. The difference from the last time we met is that I no longer care to talk. You are now an obstacle only GUARDING MY PATH!" Yone's eyes grew brighter, as he transformed the spirit energy around him into a cyclone. The cyclone went over Yone's blade, and ignited it in a spirit flame. In that moment, two shadow swords emerged from his blade from the left and right.

Yasuo was immediately rushed to his feet after dodging a nearly fatal attack from Yone. Yasuo's blade felt weak against the shadow blades of Yone.

_"Hatoki!" _ Yone's shadow blades sent an electric current down Yasuo's blade, which sent shocking waves of pain straight back to Yasuo. The pain sent Yasuo flying backwards. He dropped his sword, which was ignited with the same dark fire that encompassed Yone's blade.

"You are no match for us. We are a breed of warriors, and don't hesitate to kill. WE ARE THE BLACK SHADOW OF DAWN!"

Yasuo got to his knee, and thought about the situation he was in. _'Wind and fire…Combined with spirit energy…Yone, you are a fool. This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. Zed may have taken you from the grave, but this time you will rest in peace.'_

Yone thought Yasuo was mocking him by just sitting there. "Get back up and fight me, you disgrace!"

Yasuo sang a song on his flute to alter the wind patter back towards Yone. He was going to go for one last attack to end the battle. '_The wind has changed pace…this is over.'_

Yone had enough. "If you won't move, then I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Yasuo threw his flute behind him, as he faded into the air. He increased his velocity while dashing around Yone, and he created a whirlwind. "_SORYE GE TON!" _Instantly, Yasuo flipped Yone up into the air and brutally struck him three times before sending him back to the ground. Once Yone hit the ground, the flames on his shadow sword had vanished, and he was grasping for air.

_'Just as balance had dictated…The wind will extinguish the fire of wrath, and bring an end to the torment. If only it didn't have to be Yone…'_

Yasuo hit the ground, and watched as his brother was dying before him. "Brother, why did you make me do this? You were foolish in putting all your power on the line for getting nothing in return. WHY YONE?"

"GO TO HELL, YASUO!"

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BRING BALANCE TO IONIA, NOT DARKNESS. YOU WEREN'T JUST A TOOL FOR POWER, YOU WERE MY BROTHER…and I loved you, Yone."

Yone took his last breath as his inner flame disappeared. "AGH….GYAAAAAAAA…."

Yasuo fell to the ground with tears rolling down Yone's dead body. He knew what had to happen in order for the mission to be complete, but he never knew how hard it would be to kill his own brother twice now. Even though he would not see Yone ever again, he wanted to leave him in peace this time and dig him a proper grave. He hauled Yone's body over to the side and dug a hole.

"Maybe this time you will not be awakened in your rest. I never wanted to create bounds between us…Lucian was right in saying I felt like I was just a shadow of who you were…Ionia's number one swordsmen that I could never defeat. It took me a long time away from Ionia to find myself, and now all that is left is to start from ground zero. Goodbye, my dear friend."

Yasuo laid Yone to rest, and covered the gap with some dust he collected in his whirlwind. With it, he enclosed the hole to make sure that no one would come near it and awaken Yone.

Yasuo called out for Karma. '_Karma…he's dead for good now. You may come out.'_

Karma came behind Yasuo, and she saw the last few moments of Yasuo digging Yone's grave, and she put her hand on his back. "You too could use some rest, child. I know this moment is something that will take a while if not the rest of your life to get over, but we still need to move on for the time being. For now, take this spirit essence which I am gifting you." Karma's tether linked to Yasuo's spirit, and it healed him and comforted him.

"I never thought he would be so blind. My only regret is not being able to shed some light to the darkness in which he has gone to. Regardless, we should meet up with Lucian as soon as we can."

As soon as they were done, Yasuo decided to contact Udyr to see how he was doing with Soul.

'_This is Yasuo, are you and Soul holding up there big guy?'_

_'Aha! I haven't had this much fun in a while. SPIRIT CRUSH! HYAAAAAAA!'_

_'Have you found anything yet?'_

_'Just a bunch of undead soldiers from Noxus; I cannot identify any of them. HEY SOUL, WATCH IT!'_

Yasuo knew they were fine. So then, Yasuo tried to get contact with Lucian. '_This is Yasuo, have you found anything yet?'_

_'….'_

_'Lucian? LUCIAN, RESPOND!'_

_'...'_

_'Shit.' _

Yasuo could not get a hold of Lucian. The way that everyone else had communicated was psychokinetically through their spirit senses. Lucian had no spirit essence, so instead he carried around a small micro chip that could sense what they were saying. The fact that Lucian wasn't replying led them to believe something was wrong.

Karma closed her eyes for a second. '…_CLAIRVOYANCE!' _Karma used her foresight ability to see where Lucian was. Once she spotted him, she was immediately distraught. "This is not good; Lucian has found the same dark reaper who took his wife. We can't let him get out of control, so we must hurry!"

With that, they left immediately for Lucian. On their way, they saw the micro chip broken and on the trail that they were following, therefore confirming Lucian's location.

'_There's no way that this can go good. Lucian, why do you insist on doing things by yourself?'_

They had finally caught sight of Lucian, and they were taken with the sight of him yelling while blasting off hundreds of rounds at Thresh. "THERE'S NO ESCAPING, YOU WRETCHED BASTARD THRESH!"

Karma fell over on the way there, and Yasuo wasn't fast enough to keep up with Lucian.

"Lucian, quit acting like an idiot! You cannot defeat the soul reaper alone!" Yasuo's words were not worth much. Lucian had gotten Thresh into a corner. He started beating the living hell out of him after he threw both his guns to the ground.

"THIS IS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE YOU'VE TORMENTED." Lucian kicked him right in the face. "THIS IS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SOMEONE PRECIOUS TO THEM." Lucian nailed Thresh right in the chest, and Thresh's lantern fell out of his hand. Lucian started getting angry when he saw that. "THIS LAST ONE… IS FOR SENNA. DIE!"

"I don't think so." Lucian was blown away by a huge spiritual force, but it did not come from Thresh. "Don't hurt my poor Thresh." It…was Ahri. "Make one more false move, and it will be the last move you make."

Yasuo was in more shock after seeing Ahri guarding Thresh. Lucian was still confused, but he didn't ask. Instead, Yasuo came forward. "Miss, don't hurt Lucian…you were looking for me, were you not?"

Ahri was surprised to see Yasuo, and she clenched her heart. "You came back, I don't believe it…"

_'I can't believe it, but I am going to be forced to fight the once I love the most, right in this barren wasteland. Miss, don't get the wrong idea, but I will do whatever it takes to get you back. I couldn't save Yone...I'll be damned if I CAN'T SAVE YOU!'_

(MORE COMING SOON – SORRY FOR RECENT DELAY)


	7. Chapter 6 - Eternal guilt, Eternal love

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 6: Eternal guilt, Eternal love

Yasuo was face to face with the Ionian fox that he promised to protect for life, Ahri. Although he couldn't save his brother from Zed's grasp, he still wanted to protect Ahri.

"I just want you to know Miss; I didn't come here to have a nice long chat. I came here to take you back with me."

Ahri laughed, and winked at Yasuo. "You're too sweet sometimes, Yasuo. I think I should also let you know that I'm not leaving this place. I finally found a place where I'm not left in the dust by everyone. Ionia wasn't enough for me, so instead I will stay here."

"You're crazy, but I like that about you. It gives me something to fight for." Yasuo put his sword down, and put massive amounts of spirit energy into his hands. His goal was to make Ahri unconscious for long enough to defeat the rest of Zed's army, and then hopefully make Ahri see the light of day. This wasn't going to be an easy task, but he moved on.

It was Yasuo who made the first move, dashing straight for Ahri. Surprisingly, Ahri caught his hand, and threw him backwards. "What do you think you are doing, you fool? I love you, but you aren't going to change my mind."

"What is it that you want Ahri? I tried to do what I could for you in Ionia, but what do you want?"

Ahri stomped the ground. "I WANT YOU TO STOP ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE THAT. I don't want you ask, I want you to give. You NEVER make the first move; you NEVER do anything out of the kindness of your heart…YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ASK! I don't want that, Yasuo. I want life to give me surprises, not questions. For too long, you let your pride get to you, along with that exile girl. All you cared about was Ionia, and you NEVER gave me attention. Can you see why I left? Do you not know how much pain I've gone through in this life?"

"I understand that, but I know you are better than this!"

"Well…I'm done with thinking like that. I am not going to be used by you any longer." Ahri then took it to the offensive, and spirit rushed towards Yasuo. "You can stay here with me, and forget about that stupid nation!"

"You…you're delusional!" Yasuo barely dodged Ahri's charm, but was hit by her spirit bolts. Yasuo still had some fight in him, but he was being overwhelmed by Ahri. Yasuo took one too many hits, and fell over. Ahri came to his side, and held him up.

"I told many other this once Yasuo, but I do this out of love…My hope is that I can really know the true meaning of that."

'_This is my only chance. I have to make it worth it.'_

Yasuo transferred the rest of his spirit energy into his forehead, and collided with Ahri's head. Yasuo kissed Ahri, and fell backwards out of pain, along with Ahri. With that one last hit, Yasuo sent his energy into Ahri. He wanted to get inside Ahri's head to see what she was really thinking because he knew talking normally would do nothing. Afterwards, Ahri fell into a deep slumber…

_'It's cold in here…so cold…' Ahri was walking forever on what seemed like a big pond. She saw a tree nearby, and ran for it. Right by it was Yasuo._

_"Yasuo, is that you? Yasuo!"_

_He did not respond. Instead, he started talking to himself. He took a leaf off the ground. _

_"Is a leaf's only purpose to fall? Or can there be more ways of life in this kind of world." He threw the leaf into the air, and it drifted away. _

_"Fly away like the birds in the wind. Maybe one day you can find your purpose."_

_Yasuo then walked forward, and there he vanished in the wind. Ahri tried to run after him, but she saw a vision of what looked like her past. She saw herself, and she was crying on a swing set. This was many years ago, but Ahri knew the scenario. She was being made fun of by everyone._

_'There's that weird fox girl! What a freak, Hahaha!'_

_'She's so strange, and she never talks to anyone.'_

_'What a creep!'_

_Little Ahri looked down, and a single tear went down her nose. 'Please stop…'_

_Then, Yasuo appeared in the dream behind her, and wiped off the tear. He stood next to her. "Little girl, why is it that you are crying? You are still in the fond of your youth, little one."_

_Ahri sniffed, and looked down. "Mister, everyone's making fun of me because I'm half fox half girl."_

_Yasuo chuckled. "You're a precious little girl, how can you let a few comments get to you?"_

_Ahri looked up, and smiled at Yasuo. "Thanks, mister."_

_"You know little girl, I know a girl like you who made an impact on my life. She was an exile to her land, and was hated by everybody. She came to me asking for death, but I told her that her life had more purpose. Her name was Riven, and she came to Ionia on a mission to kill an elder of this land. I was accused of killing him, and everyone looked at me like a traitor. I was forced to leave this land."_

_"Why are you telling me this?"_

_Yasuo patted her head. "You see, little one, I am telling you this because I want you to know I have had similar experiences to what you are feeling right now. If anyone knew I was here, I would surely be treated as an enemy. Riven was treated like an enemy for the own people she worked for, but I thought it was important that I remind her she isn't hated by everyone. Likewise, I want you to know not everyone really hates you. Someday you will come across someone who can truly feel for you and understand your personality. Keep your chin up!"_

_Little Ahri's face became a lot brighter, and she hugged Yasuo. "Thank you…Thank you so much mister!"_

_Yasuo smiled back and the vision blurred and went away. Yasuo came out of the vision walking straight up to Ahri. This time, he could hear and see her._

_"Ahri, I think I can say for once that I finally understand you. I judged you for going to the Shadow Isles when really it is just a misjudgment from a bad childhood. I never knew you were treated like that when you were a little girl. It really dawned upon me that we are more similar than I thought originally. I didn't come here trying to be a hero; I came here trying to see if I could save you…I failed in saving my dear brother, so more than anything I didn't want to lose you. I hope I have convinced you to stay this time."_

_Ahri's chest was pounding and she was in awe of what she had just witnessed. She put both her arms around Yasuo. "No one really knew about my past until now. For what it is worth, I am glad you are the person to see it because you are similar to me. I can't believe I was so blind, Yasuo. I…love you…"_

Both of them woke up at that time, and Ahri's hair was abnormally longer. She looked much different: longer hair, different clothes, brighter face…and she had no more scars. The scars that she had received from Zed were no longer there.

"Is this real? What is going on?"

Ahri pulled down her sleeves, and she saw that her scars had disappeared. She also noticed her tails and cat ears were gone as well. Instantly, she was overwhelmed with joy.

"Yasuo, you broke my curse! I'm…I'M HUMAN!" Ahri tackled Yasuo to the ground in happiness.

_'Your death was not in vein, Yone. While I was unable to save you, I could at least save one. All that is left is to finish the mission.'_

While that was happening, Thresh was once again being relentlessly chased by Lucian. Thresh was on his knees begging Lucian to let him live.

"You don't have to go through with this Lucian; I swear your wife is still alive!"

"You took the better half of me Thresh; with it, you also took my kindness and my mercy."

Thresh dropped his lantern and his chains. "Have mercy!"

Lucian punched Thresh to the ground, and pointed both guns at him. "This…is…mercy…DIE!"

Thresh laughed, and pulled back his chain. Lucian fell over, and when he got back up, Thresh was gone.

"Show yourself, you coward!"

Suddenly, a storm of shadows piled around Lucian. "Embrace death." Hecarim, the Shadow of War, appeared in front of Lucian and the spirits around Lucian snared him to the ground. Lucian froze up, and he heard voices in his head.

'_The Black Shadow of Dawn will rise!'_

_'They will fear the thundering hooves of the dead!'_

_'Lucian…Run…please…'_

"SENNA, IS THAT YOU?! SENNA!"

Hecarim laughed, and charged the struggling Lucian to the ground.

"YOU COWARD HECARIM! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"

Yasuo started to run towards him, but Ahri stopped him. "Ahri, what are you doing? Lucian is a key player in this mission, we can't risk him dying!"

"I…I can't bear to see you get hurt. You aren't my bodyguard; you are the one thing that I love."

_'Damn it! I can't leave Ahri like this, but Lucian is in danger. I have no choice.'_

Yasuo dropped his sword, as he saw Lucian get slammed into the ground by the Shadow of War and his ghouls. Even though there was nothing he could do to stop Hecarim, he felt like a traitor. He made a pact with Lucian in hyper reality when he told him that he would fight alongside him to the death.

Lucian dropped his guns, and fell over breathless. "Senna…I failed…" Lucian was taken up by Hecarim, and he rode off into the darkness. Yasuo decided to inform Udyr about what had happened.

'_Udyr, this is Yasuo…are you okay?'_

_'Yes, Soul and I are demolishing. How is everything holding up on your end?'_

_'Ahri is safe with me now, but I'm afraid that Lucian has been taken by the Shadow of War. There is still one more island to look for Zed: Trinity Island.'_

_'Understood Yasuo. Soul, get ready to crush some undead ghouls!'_

"I'm sorry, Yasuo." Ahri came by Yasuo's side. "I was wrong. The thought of you getting hurt scared me too much. This is my entire fault."

"Miss, you have no need to worry. I am here to protect you, not to be a hero. I saved you, now all we need to do is save Lucian. How do you feel?"

Ahri tried to create some spirit energy from her hand, but nothing happened. "I feel disconnected from the spirit realm. I'm not sure I am capable of fighting in my human form."

Yasuo gave Ahri his sword. "I hope you're good at jousting then." Ahri still looked down because she was upset to let Lucian nearly die. Yasuo sat down, and tried to make her feel better. "Listen, you didn't make any mistakes. You used your inner force to drive away the dark blood that was in your veins. I don't want you to feel upset."

"I…Okay, I will stand and fight."

'_I can't end today on a bad note. I lost two in the favor of gaining one, but I won't lose to the Shadow Realm any more. You took my brother, now you can take my fist in return!'_


	8. Chapter 7 - Ultimate Gamble

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 7: Ultimate Gamble

'_Today…ends it all. We will either die heroes, or live to see another day. We have lost so much already, now all we can do is take it to the heart of the shadow isles. I would rather die than live as a coward.'_

Yasuo, along with Ahri and Karma, met with Udyr and Soul at the pier of Trinity Island. Soul looked much stronger from the last time Yasuo had seen him. He even felt his spirit essence escaping out of him. Karma got ahead of them, and used her clairvoyance.

"…I see a long isle of souls this way. Hold on…" Karma intensified when she saw some key figures. "No…no way. I can see Nidalee, Krystal, Riven, and Lucian."

Yasuo felt a deep sharp pain when he heard that Riven was here. "Riven…this is really bad. We need to get a move on!"

"Right!" Udyr and Soul were already ahead of them with their insane speed. The rest of them followed behind.

Karma was falling behind for a moment when she sensed something very powerful coming close. She stopped, and fell to the ground.

'_I almost feel frozen, this power is overwhelming. 800 meters…500 meters…NO, IT'S HERE!'_

Karma called from behind. "YASUO, AHRI, GET DOWN!" Both of them looked back, and Yasuo also felt the same presence. He grabbed Ahri and fell to the ground. Instantaneously, there was a sharp spirit slash that just whiffed right above them. Udyr looked back, but it was too late. The slash hit him straight on, and he was entangled in soul shackles.

"What the hell is this?! I can't break free!" He looked around, and saw the march of the dead coming his way. Hecarim, Mordekaiser, and Thresh, along with an army of the undead. "Pathetic, I have to bring down more of them without my hands. LET'S GO SOUL!"

Soul transcended into the hawk. "They don't stand a chance!"

When the marchers got closer, Soul felt his life draining. He started getting dizzy, and fell to the ground.

"NO!"

Yasuo and Ahri came by Udyr's side and took him away before the undead army could get any closer. Hecarim, who was in the front, stopped the marchers. Hecarim then came forward to greet Udyr.

"Hand over the boy, unless you wish for a bloody grave."

Udyr hesitated. "You fear us because you know we can destroy you with the flick of a few fingers. Release me, you bastard!"

Mordekaiser was behind Hecarim, and came out laughing. "We know all your tricks, Spirit Walker. There are always alternate options if you do not comply with us." Mordekaiser conjured the dead from the ground beneath him, and in the center of them was a shadow. This shadow took form, and Udyr took a long, hard gaze into her face.

"You…What have you…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" It was Nidalee, but this was not the same Nidalee. Nidalee's face looked old, and dead.

"Do not fear, she's only a bit tired." Mordekaiser kicked her to the ground. "Wake up, you peasant!"

Udyr tried to break free, but the more he struggled, the more painful it felt.

Mordekaiser snapped his finger, and Nidalee got up, and looked younger again. Now, the white in her eyes had color. Mordekaiser had full control of her.

"Kill him."

Nidalee stood up. "Understood." At the same time, Mordekaiser freed Udyr from his shackles, and his tremendous power blew her back. Still, she got back up and walked towards Udyr.

"WAKE UP, YOU FOOL! YOU CAN STILL CHOOSE FOR YOURSELF!"

Nidalee refused to respond. Instead, she went into her cougar form and attacked Udyr to the ground. It was hard for Udyr to defend himself, because he knew he could get through Nidalee somehow.

Yasuo wanted to intervene, but he knew Ahri and Karma would stop him like before.

'_How is it that I can just sit by and watch my closest friends get beaten to death? Why can I never intervene?'_

"Spirit Walker, why are you not fighting me back?"

"I told you…I would never give up on you."

Nidalee still attacked Udyr mercilessly. "Why?"

Udyr looked down. "I have faith that you are still alive inside."

Nidalee returned back to her normal form, and got very close to Udyr, looking him in his eyes. "Who are you?"

Udyr grabbed her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes. "YOU KNOW WHO I AM. OUR SON IS BEING THREATENED BECAUSE YOU CAN'T WAKE UP, YOU FOOL!"  
"I…have a son?"

Mordekaiser yelled back. "What the hell is this? KILL HIM!"

Nidalee looked back, and growled. "You monster." She threw her sharpened spear straight at Mordekaiser, who smashed it into a hundred pieces with his mace.

"Wrong choice, you worthless bitch." Mordekaiser snapped his fingers, and Nidalee fell to the ground, shrieking in pain. "You are next, Spirit Walker."

Udyr's power finally came back to him. He could feel the energy overpower him. "THAT'S IT! Yasuo, you take the minions, Mordekaiser is mine!"

Karma came alongside Nidalee, and healed her back up. Nidalee was just finally breaking loose from Mordekaiser's grasp. When Nidalee woke up, she felt like she had a headache and lost a bulk of her memory. She saw Udyr unleashing his power. "Uh…that man, is fighting for me?"

Hecarim commanded his warriors to battle. Yasuo backed up Udyr, as they fought alongside each other. Udyr's focus was Mordekaiser, but he was being overwhelmed. Ahri and Nidalee aided Udyr. "I don't remember who you are, but I know you are important. Go and kill Mordekaiser, and we can take care of the rest."

Udyr went ahead, and powered up. "One blast will be enough to send you into oblivion, metal head."

Mordekaiser surrounded himself in a thick steel shield. "We shall see, Spirit Walker."

Udyr focused all his energy into one piercing blow, and he clashed directly with Mordekaiser. Both were standing at equal footing, waiting for one to give in. Instead, Udyr put in more power. "OVERWHELMING FORCE, SPIRIT DECIMATION!" Udyr's spirit energy transformed into a shockwave around his arm, and it increasingly shook back Mordekaiser until the blast had completely shattered Mordekaiser.

'_One down, only a few more to go.'_

Udyr transcended from being in too poor of a condition to fight. Instead, he saw Ahri and Nidalee fighting in perfect condition. Ahri learned how to effectively use a sword from Riven and Yasuo, and Nidalee had always been an excellent close quarter comeback fighter. Yasuo was fighting Hecarim, and faring quite well without his blade.

Karma came to aid Udyr, and heal his wounds. Karma, however, had a stressful look.

"Why do you look like you are in a time of distress? We are rolling right over the Shadow Isles!"

Karma stood back up. "It is not them I am concerned about. Within my clairvoyance, I saw Riven and Krystal, but they are no longer in sight. It is as if their life force was suddenly depleted…"

"Quite the opposite, Karma." The soul reaper, Thresh, had hooked both Karma and Udyr towards him, and enclosed them in his spectral box. "You look so worried for your friends, why don't you say hello to them?" Thresh threw his lantern on the ground, and Karma could hear Lucian and Senna crying out endlessly.

Yasuo, hearing this, turned around towards Thresh. He quickly took his sword back from Ahri, and was planning on breaking Thresh's box from the outside. Instead, he was knocked to the ground from behind.

"Going somewhere?" Now before Yasuo was Riven.

"RIVEN?!" Yasuo was in grief seeing how Riven looked at this time. Now, her clothes were torn apart and revealing her bloody wounds. The mark of the Black Rose had fully consumed Riven's body. "This can't be…have you really thrown away your life to the Shadow Isles?"

Riven picked up Yasuo, and threw him against a rock pillar. "You are worthless to me. It is only through blood in which true warriors are born!"

Yasuo got up, shrugging off his wounds. _'That is not Riven, it's impossible. The death mark shouldn't have gone over her whole body after Karma sealed her spirit. She's being used…I just know it.'_

"Will you fight me, Yasuo?"

Yasuo drew his blade. "You are not Riven, so I will have no trouble in killing you."

Riven scoffed, and went on the offensive. "You always thought of me as the weaker one, even though you knew I could have killed you back in Noxus. I AM THE TRUE WARRIOR!"

"You are nothing more than a shadow of yourself!" Yasuo went for a piercing blow to Riven's chest, and Riven instantaneously went on the defensive.

'_Hmm…if I attack her in the upper portion of her body, she hesitates.'_

Yasuo decided to go for more slashes, all of which were barely dodged. One slash in particular caught Rive off guard, and Yasuo flung her sword out of her hands. Instead of finishing her off, Yasuo held her close, and took a long look into her fierce eyes. "Let me go, you weakling!"

'_I really hope that this has few repercussions.'_

"Calm down, you silly little girl." Yasuo kissed Riven, and she lost her fierce look. Instead, she looked much more innocent, and she kissed Yasuo back. Ahri looked over for just a bit, and growled at both of them.

"Yasuo, you didn't have say anything. I knew that you would choose me in the end." Riven pushed Yasuo to the ground, and got on top of him. "Just let me take care of everything…"

'_I…am…confused…'_

Then, while Riven was on top of Yasuo, her charming yet innocent look turned into painful tears. "I caused you and everyone so much pain…I'm such an awful person, aren't I?"

"Uh, what?"

Riven got up, and handed Yasuo his sword. "Kill me."

Yasuo was both puzzled and disturbed at this point. He did not understand why Riven's emotional state was ever so changing. Then, he realized what was going on when he saw her blood veins on her right arm just as the death mark had spread. Riven was in full control, but her emotions separated her. With this, she was going through all the emotional states in her life when she was young, innocent, girly, upset, and depressed.

"Embrace DEATH!" Hecarim charged towards Riven, and she instantly empowered her sword and protected Yasuo. She called on her spirit energy, and it came out of nowhere. Riven stopped Hecarim straight in his tracks.

"No longer…" She looked up at Hecarim, with fiery eyes. "No longer will I live being PUSHED AROUND BY ZED OR HIS MINIONS!" Riven slashed Hecarim up, and blew him away with her wind slash.

'_Ironic, the same Wind Slash used to frame me is the same one that is used to save my life. Thankfully Riven is on our side.'_

Riven was losing control of herself, and she fell asleep into Yasuo's arms. Ahri came to assist him, and gave him Soul as well. "Don't act like I didn't see your romantic scene, Yasuo."

Yasuo shrugged it off. "Sorry Miss, I can't help myself!"

After Yasuo said this, the sky got a lot darker, and the wind was picking up pace around Nidalee, who was out in the open. Her shadow began to enlarge, and she was confused on what was happening. Udyr was watching from Thresh's prison, as he saw Nidalee get surrounded by multiple shadows.

"Finally, you are mine." The shadows dashed around Nidalee, and Nidalee was marked for death.

"NIDALEE, RUN AWAY!"

Nidalee looked back. "Huh, wha-" Nidalee was stabbed in the back, and it pierced right through her arteries. She coughed blood on the ground, and fell over. It was Zed.

"Spirit Walker…I know you can still fight. Don't give up…I'm counting…on you…" Nidalee's last breath was taken, and she fell over dead.

"Zed…you insolent bastard you…" Udyr's power was so tremendous, that is shattered Thresh's box and sent him flying in the other direction. Then, Udyr teleported next to Zed, and smashed him to the ground. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO KILL YOU GOD DAMNIT?" Udyr picked him up, and started beating the hell out of him. He eventually cracked his armor, and his face showed. This was no ordinary face, but it was déjà vu to Udyr. He put Zed down, and walked back. "You can't be serious…"

Zed took off the rest of his helmet, and revealed who he truly was. "I am sorry, Udyr. The lust for power has consumed me…"

...

...

Zed...

Zed…was…Udyr's Master – Spirit.

Yasuo was in fear of what he just saw. '_That's…That's the legendary Spirit Walker who taught Udyr everything? How the hell is he still alive?! This is crazy…what will happen next?'_


	9. Chapter 8 - Black out

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 8: Black out

The wolf howled into the night, as everyone stood around in silence as Udyr revealed that Zed is really his master, Spirit. While Udyr was shocked to see his old master, Karma was working on bringing Nidalee back to life with her reversing pain technique. Nidalee coughed up more blood, but it was a sign that she was alive. "Hold on, child. You are not ready to go just yet."

Without noticing, Udyr questioned his master. "Why…" Udyr was lost for words, and almost didn't want to believe it.

Spirit took off the rest of his armor, to reveal sharp shards of ice carved into his own skin. "Lissandra got me on the lust for power. You thought I died that day, but she only froze me into submission. I wanted to protect you, but instead I became a demon and gained extraordinary strength."

"Bullshit."

"Hmm?"

Udyr slammed his fist into the ground. "My master would never do such a thing. He was courageous and never submitted to cowards like the Ice Witch!"

"Aye, you know me well Udyr. However, you cannot deny fate. One of us is going to die today; will you fight me and become Ionia's new Spirit Guard?"

Udyr hesitated. "I don't want to believe you…I can't…kill you."

Spirit laughed, and cracked his knuckles. "You fool, Udyr." Then, he went on the offensive. He dashed towards Udyr, breaking through his turtle stance with his own powers. "SPIRIT CRUSH!" Udyr went flying backwards and barely got up. "You embarrass me so much. I KNOW YOU ARE HIDING YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL, SO COME AND FACE ME!"

"You…you're a monster, master. I don't want to live in a world consumed with rage and power. Kill me now."

Soul, who was knocked unconscious a while ago, stood up when he heard those words. He saw Spirit demolishing Udyr relentlessly, and now Soul was getting heated. Soul jumped out of Ahri's hands, and immediately went to aid Udyr.

"GET BACK!" Soul countered Spirit's next attack, as Udyr was now on the ground and defenseless.

"What are you doing? You are no match for him! STOP!"

"No, dad…" Soul looked over his shoulder, with tears running down both his eyes. "You need rest, and now it is time for me to prove to you that I have become strong. I can't sit back and watch you die after seeing mom go."

Spirit took down his hood, and was intrigued by Soul. When he further looked into his spirit energy, he saw a huge burst of energy coming his way. "What a fascinating child, Udyr. I would expect nothing less from my best student. However, not even the best pupils can overcome their master sometimes. PHOENIX, RISE!" Spirit transformed into his ascended Phoenix form, and now Udyr was scared senseless for Soul's life. Instead, Soul answered with his own spirit ascension.

"THE ASCENDED DRAGON, RISE!" This was a new form that not even Udyr had known about. When they were in hyper reality for 7 years, Udyr taught him how to effectively make use of his spirit essence and call upon nature to guide his strength. Instead of receiving the traditional elements of the Spirit Walkers, he garnered new spirits. Soul was now on the offensive. "DRAGON BLAZE!" Soul shot out sparks of flame, which directly hit Spirit. Instead of groaning, he laughed and consumed the energy.

"Phoenix beats dragon, you fool. DRAGON'S RAGE!" Spirit instantly teleported over Soul's head, and slammed him into the ground with his kick. When Soul hit the ground, his spirit was engulfed in flame. Every time Soul tried to get up, it hurt even more.

"Just stay down, kid. I've experienced thousands of fighters greater than you. I know what it takes to become a good fighter, and I can see great potential in you. The only thing that I was missing my entire life…" Spirit consumed his energy wave in his right hand. "…Is the drive to become perfect."

Udyr couldn't stand to keep on watching this battle proceed, but his options were very limited. He wanted to cry out for Soul, but to his surprise, Soul got up on his feet again. This time, he was trembling in pain, but up nonetheless. "You may be stronger than me, you may have lived a hundred times longer than me…hell, you probably might kill me…" Soul was gathering all the energy that he could take in for one last strike. Udyr was scared of his predicted outcome. He tried to stop him, but his left knee was bent wrong. Instead, he cried out. "SOUL, JUST STOP!"

Soul ignored Udyr, and started waltzing towards Spirit. "However, a true warrior never knows WHEN TO QUIT!"

Udyr closed his eyes. "NOOOOOOOOO!"  
"SHOCKWAVE!" Soul unloaded the rest of his energy into a lined up shockwave that went straight for Spirit. Instead of dodging it, he blocked it with two fingers. Spirit was being pushed back a little, but he eventually caught it in his fingers.

"What a pathetic attack, now you will die because of it." Spirit threw it at Soul, who was on his knees. Yasuo, Karma, and Ahri watched as it was about to pierce through Soul, but Udyr stepped in the way of it, and absorbed it. Soul could barely still breathe, but would live.

"Why did you save me…I failed you."

"Shut up, you idiot." Udyr was holding one hand over his wound, and pointing his fist at Spirit. "Don't ever question my love for you. We, as a race, do not live by individual alone; we must continue our journey along the path that we travel. If you were to die today, then that would be all over. I am not letting that happen."

"Dad…" Soul fell over unconscious, and now Ahri went over to grab him.

Spirit was charging for another spirit blast. "I see I'm going to have to kill more people now to get that power out of you, Udyr."

Udyr's eyes grew red, and he yelled out into the air. The ground was trembling, as Ahri ran back over to where Karma and Yasuo were. Karma was the most surprised by Udyr's new approach.

Yasuo knew Karma had knowledge of the matter at handed, and questioned her. "What is going on right now Karma?"  
"He's releasing the Spirit Demon inside of him. I sealed it in him for a good long time after his first encounter with Lissandra, but this time it looks like he has broken the barrier. I hope he knows the cost of summoning it, because it may very well decide the fate of Ionia itself."

Udyr's power was increasing at insane amounts. He looked over to Karma slightly, and knew what she was thinking as well.

'_I know you told me to never break the seal unless I wanted a death wish, but Spirit has gone too far. THIS WILL END IT FOREVER!'_

"The cost…" Karma continued, "…death."

Yasuo and Ahri were both stunned; they didn't want to believe the thought that Udyr was going to single handedly kill himself after witnessing his wife die and his son get pulverized.

"It is Udyr's free choice to do this, and he knows the power that he will get from releasing the demon. It really is a last ditch effort, so now all we can pray for is that Udyr can finish off Spirit."

Udyr grinded his teeth as his muscles were ripping apart as his spirit energy itself was feeding off of him. It was painful, but as a double edged sword it also increased his power tenfold. "It's ready."

"Finally, now I can see the brink of your power." Before Spirit could even continue, Udyr already initiated the fight. He was uppercut instantly, and bashed forward and backward in the air.

"YOU'VE BROKEN THE CODE OF THE SPIRIT WALKERS, MASTER; YOUR PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!"

Spirit was being crushed, but still had a bit of energy left to shield his back side when Udyr came in for another uppercut. Spirit went for a counter attack, but Udyr broke his hand instantly, and threw him to the ground.

'_I…can't believe the strength of his demon…It looks like 100% of my power is necessary once again…'_

"**THIS WILL END IT – DEMON VAULT BREAKER**!" Udyr felt half the pain which he had just inflicted onto Spirit, and he had to back away for a second to take a breath.

_'That is my limit. It's finally…over…'_

Yasuo got up after the devastating blow, and all the smoke was gone. "Is…is it over?"

Karma used her Clairvoyance to see through Spirit's thick gust of energy. Spirit's body was ripped to pieces in several places, and all of his arteries were broken, but it looked like he was crumbling to pieces.

"What the…hell?"

Yasuo was curious. "What is it?"

"I don't believe it…Spirit surrounded his body in a shield. Now his spirit energy is turning into black blood."

Udyr couldn't believe it. He went over to witness it first hand, but all he saw was a dead body crackling away. Now, it spoke out.

"Once again, I expected nothing less from you. Now, let's see how you handle the Black Shadow of Dawn." Spirit rose from the dust, and he was literally a living shadow. He lifted his arms, and from it came razor sharp blades. "I sense fear, Udyr."

Udyr restored his power, even though he was still in serious pain. "You're pissing me off."

At this moment, Karma had gotten the brink of Nidalee's pain and reversed it towards herself. Nidalee was hardly awake, but could see everything. Nidalee looked at Soul, and back at Udyr. "I see…a connection between those two…" She studied Soul more. "That's my…son…right?"

Spirit disappeared momentarily, and appeared behind Udyr. Spirit thrusted his umbra blades into Udyr, but Udyr had knocked them out. The more blood that Udyr shed only attributed to his strength. "You'll have to do more than that, YOU TRAITOR!" Udyr went for a spirit blast, but it went straight through Spirit. For a moment, Udyr was just continually punching the figure of Spirit, but nothing had happened.

Ahri couldn't understand what was happening any longer. "Karma, why is Udyr attacking the air?"

Karma sighed. "I'm afraid he's gone insane. The demon is now in control, and Spirit has engulfed his demon veins with his black blood."

Udyr was not only going insane, but he felt even more pain. He envisioned shadows everywhere, continually stabbing him. It wasn't real, but it felt real to Udyr. Spirit didn't even have to come in contact with him anymore, because Udyr was dying on the inside.

"K...Karma…" Nidalee now realized what was going on.

"What is it, child?"

"I get it now. Soul, Udyr, Spirit, the Spirit Walkers, Ionia, Lissandra, I think I remember it all now." She got up, but Karma tried to get her back.

"You can't walk; you are in no condition yet!"

"Please, just let me…" Karma went ahead and let her go. Nidalee was walking towards Udyr, but now she was stopped by Yasuo. Instead of resisting, she just looked at Udyr. Nidalee's spirit essence was still awakening slowly, but she could see Udyr on the brink of destruction. She looked into his eyes, and saw fear.

'_That look…I…remember it…' She thought more, and started hearing voices of Udyr:_

_'As a spirit guard, it is my duty to protect the good of nature….I don't have time to be a parent, even for such a talented child like Annie…Ionia is my one true destination…I've rest for too long, and now what I realize is…Nidalee..I…..I lo-love…you'_

She fell faint for a second, but Yasuo caught her. When she got up, she just cried out his name: "UDYR, WAKE UP!"  
Udyr pounded the ground, and yelled into the air, but his power was decreasing. It seemed that he had finally come to his senses. Udyr's red veins were losing their color, and all the demon waves that were coming off his spirit energy had faded.

Karma was amazed. "Incredible, she overcame Udyr's demon just by talking, but how?" Karma turned on her Clairvoyance for a few seconds, and immediately got her answer. "No way…Udyr and Nidalee have a link between each other's soul. It's like a spirit chain that connects them to each other. When Nidalee was on the brink of death, Udyr no longer had any control, but now that they are alive he has fear of death. The demon is gone."

Udyr lost the fear in his eyes, and Yasuo came to his side. "We finished this once before, and we can do it again, Udyr."

"Right. Let's do this." Yasuo went in first, clashing with Spirit's Umbra blades. Udyr was focusing on gathering the energy from the surrounding area. Not too long afterwards, Spirit vanished towards Udyr's location. This time, he did not let the insanity reach him. Udyr had a spirit barrier over him, which sealed him away from Spirit's insanity.

"It's ready." Udyr broke out of his spirit barrier and went straight for Spirit. Instead of trying to go for an offensive attack, he only tried to keep him down. Udyr grabbed Spirit from behind and locked him down. Sonic waves were coming from the palms of Udyr's hands and enveloping Spirit's shadow-like body. "Now is your chance Yasuo, END THIS!"

Yasuo was harnessing all his energy into one attack, but in the meanwhile Spirit was struggling out of Udyr's control. "You can't contain the Black Shadow of Dawn. _The darkness has overcome your body._"

As Spirit said that, Udyr looked down to see black blood enveloping his body. The black blood effectively covers one's body until they become a living shadow and become a true demon. Udyr couldn't let that happen; he got a hold of Spirit and pitted him right in front of his own body.

"What the hell are you doing, Spirit Walker?"

Udyr had little time left. "KILL US BOTH, BEFORE THE BLACK BLOOD SPREADS AND I BECOME A DEMON!"

Yasuo was in fear of killing one of his own comrades, but he knew the feeling of killing someone close to him and decided the opportunity must present itself beforehand. In this case, Yasuo had no chance. "I…have no options…"

Nidalee couldn't believe it. "No…NO!"

Yasuo finished powering up, and dashed towards both of them. "The final strike – _SORYE GE TON!"_

Everyone, except Nidalee, looked away momentarily, as Yasuo's blade pierced through Udyr and Spirit. Both of them shrieked in pain, but eventually fell over once Yasuo retrieved his blade. Nidalee was in extreme grief after just getting her full memory back and realizing who Udyr was. She dropped to the ground, covered in tears.

"Why? Why did it have to be Udyr? GOD DAMN YOU SPIRIT, GIVE HIM BACK!"

Karma tried to approach her, but Nidalee was beyond repair at the moment. In spite of her grief, pain, and shock, Nidalee had collapsed. Now, there were three people who were out cold: Riven, Soul, and now Nidalee. All three of the remaining warriors who were still awake focused their attention on Spirit, who was glowing bright. The shadow that he once was now sparkling and a round yellow spirit wave came out of the now vanished shadow. Once the shadow vanished, the entire Trinity Island became a lot brighter, and everything looked natural. Thresh, who was momentarily frozen along with Hecarim and Mordekaiser, burst into flames of light. Thresh's lantern shattered into thousands of pieces, and all the souls imprisoned came out as well.

'_What in the world is happening? Did we…win?'_

The spirit talked back, in a foreign language that only Karma could translate: "_Xijan keros latz, Karma teo Ionia. Yazano nawon ji'tek."_

_"Ev'ri karra. I speak native language, as do the people who are with me."_ Karma knew the voice of the spirit, as well as what the situation was. Instead of explaining it as she went, she made it simple.

"This spirit which has been awakened is the forbidden spirit of the Spirit Realm, Xijan. He was sentenced here approximately 1,000 years ago on account of treason, and was abandoned by the rest of the spirit realm. Nocturne, who later on killed Zed, or Spirit, was the darkness that embodied the Shadow Isles. Xijan was trapped inside Nocturne, who later transitioned to Spirit. The living shadow of Spirit is a literal replication of the form that Nocturne took when he killed Zed: a complete demon made out of darkness. Now that the darkness has been dealt with, Trinity Island and the rest of the Shadow Isles has become pure once again."

Xijan went along with what Karma has said. "I must thank you brave warriors for coming here and setting me free of the eternal prison of darkness. This land is pure, but plagued with darkness. In the end, however, darkness only exists in the absence of light."

"Don't thank us; thank the Spirit Walker who sacrificed his life on behalf of the rest of us. He is the real hero, we are but mere spectators."

Xijan understood this, and had one last statement. "I see – now that my spirit is cleared, I am free to go as I please. I may just visit your Spirit Walker friend and see how he is doing. In the meanwhile, you should all take what you need and leave so nature may once again find peace in this beautiful yet ugly island."

"Before you leave, Xijan…I must ask of one request. The spirits who were tormented by Thresh are lying over by his broken lantern, is there a chance that you can restore them?"

Xijan brightened. "Certainly, Karma. _Enviticus kaero KIN!"_

The souls that surrounded the broken lantern returned to their respective bodies. Amongst the survivors were Lucian, Jin, Krystal, and most importantly Senna. When the two woke up, they were by each other holding hands, and woke up looking in each others' eyes.

"Senna, are you awake?"

Senna went over to hug Lucian. "I was always awake, but I'm glad that I could finally wake up with you."

Right beside them, Krystal and Jin were also relieved to see each other. The rest of those who were freed left the area almost immediately out of confusion.

Karma rounded up everyone, and personally took Nidalee on her back. "Thank you, it is nice to see you once again Xijan. _Niva meta!"_

_"Niva meta!" _The spirit of Xijan disappeared.

"I know this is all so sudden, but we must heed Xijan's words and go back home. I still have enough power to make another portal." Yasuo took Riven, while Ahri took Soul. Lucian and Jin, along with Senna and Krystal, also followed. They appeared right outside Karma's place, and Karma immediately got Nidalee, Riven, and Soul into beds for further treatment. Riven was the first to awake.

"Is it over, Karma? Did we win?"

Karma nodded, as she got Riven out of bed. "I'm glad that you woke up, I need to talk to you personally." Riven followed Karma into the same room that Riven's Black Shadow mark was sealed. Now that Nocturne and the Shadow Isles were no more, the Black Shadow of Dawn curse had disappeared from everyone who was victim to it. "I am going to die soon today. The reason I am telling you this is because I want you to take the rest of my powers and take over this place as a new hospital in Ionia. I already told the Elders that I wanted to hand it down to whoever I deem worthy enough."

Riven didn't think that she had it in her to take on such a heavy burden. "Why do you choose me, Karma? I've barely been able to hold my own against the enemy, how can I manage such a task?"

"It will come to you easily, my dear. The reason that I chose you is because of your potential to become one of the greatest. There are few who attempt to take on a role like mine, and so far I've found no one who even peaks my interest." She took off her Ionian gear, and held a spirit flame in her hand. "This is 95% of my power from my own inner flame in my spirit. With this, you will make a better connection to the spirit realm and be able to treat people in need. The choice is yours, but you must trust in yourself wholly."

Riven felt really touched that for once she was chosen and accepted into a higher position. It was a perfect position for someone like Riven. "I will do my utmost to take on your legacy, Karma."

"Then it is time." Karma placed her spirit flame inside of Riven, and immediately Riven felt all the spirit essence flow through her. Once that was done, Ahri asked Karma to come immediately. Karma followed, along with Riven.

"It's Nidalee again. I think she is on the verge of dying at this point. Her spirit is fading." Ahri was really worried for her sake as well as Soul's. She knew the pain of growing up alone, and hoped no one would ever endure that if she had something to do about it.

"Nidalee's spirit is in its fatal mode of life and death. Udyr had a very strong bond with Nidalee in spirit, so now that Udyr isn't here, it is hard for Nidalee to stay alive."

Karma got to work immediately, but she could do no more without her spirit essence.

'_I wonder if Xijan will still see Udyr. I know that everyone here misses him so, including me.'_

Meanwhile…

'_I feel…light. Not exactly less fat, but really light. Oh right, I'm dead…lovely…' _Udyr was now a spirit amongst the thousands in Spirit Realm. Right beside him was none other than Spirit.

"You know, I knew in the end that you would turn out to be the hero; I sure with it wasn't at the expense of your old man's life though!"

Udyr crossed his arms. "I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but you are still a traitor to me."

"I know I've stirred a lot, son. Can I explain?"

Udyr took his arms away from himself for a second. "Did…you just call me son?"

Spirit sat down, and laughed. "As I stated, let me explain:

'_I told you when you were young that you had regular parents, because I wanted to give you hope for your future. I had to train you and shape you to become a responsible and respectable person, because of how lazy you were to begin. Of course, I had a reason behind all of this. As you might know already, every 40 years or so the Spirit Walker descendants get a vision so they can see what their successor Spirit Walker will look like. I saw you with Ionia, and I saw that you had transformed from being selfish to caring for others' interests.'_

_'I'm not very convinced, but you are coming close.'_

_'I understand, but let me continue. The vision wasn't something that I could just interpret in one day; it took almost a few years to really understand what I had to do in order for me to shape the person who you are now. I know that because of our training, you became strong and interdependent. This was around the time that we got caught out by Lissandra. She froze me, but didn't kill me contrary to what you thought. I thought I was going down the wrong path by getting consumed by the lust for power, but it all made sense when I realized that it was my destiny to be your enemy and soon be killed by you. If I chose to reject the path of ignorance, then I would have taken you back with me. You would have broken Nidalee's heart, and you would have gone on the path to become a demon after I died.'_

_'How do you get that out of one vision?'_

_'Like I said, it took years to interpret. It was clear to me as it will be with you and your son. Anyways, I had to give myself up to the Shadow Isles. Nocturne killed me, and shaped me into Zed. The darkness at this time overcame my thought and reasoning, but I knew beforehand that it was for a greater good. I took a gamble, and nearly destroyed everything that meant so much to you, but you proved me right. As a father, I can't begin to tell you how happy you make me son.'_

Udyr finally understood. _"_I see now, all of those instances of me going on the path to redeem my emotions were designed to shape me how I am now. You really are my father, but now that I know this I have to ask a few questions."

"Anything you want, I'll answer it."

"Who was my mother?"

Spirit lost his happy look for a second, and snapped his fingers. "You got me, I guess. Well, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the answer…"

"Which is?"

"Your mother is-"

Xijan interrupted them. "Spirit Walkers – Udyr and Spirit – I have a message from the Ionians."

Spirit sighed out of relief, but Udyr was upset at being interrupted at such an inopportune time. Yet, he waited to hear the message.

'_This is Karma. Udyr, I think it is time that I confess something to you that I should have done a long time ago, but no longer have the chance to do.'_

Spirit laughed. "I didn't even have to spill the beans. Thanks honey."

"What?" Udyr didn't understand what he meant by that. The message continued:

'_I am your mother, and Spirit is your father.'_

Udyr was lost for words. "That's…how is that possible? Karma looks younger than me!"

'_I know you may think I am lying, but I would not lie. My appearance may look young, but that is because I take the physical form of whatever time I was at my peak while invoking my spirit essence. I was exceptionally strong around the time I was pregnant with you, and that is why I look so young. I would probably startle you if I ever let go of my spirit essence even for a few seconds. Now that you know this, I want you to know that I love you dearly and that everything I, as well as your father did, were all for the hopes that your future endeavors may be great. It really…makes me sad to know that your father took a gamble with your life…and that future is irrelevant now. I'm sure that Nidalee and Soul, as well as the rest of Ionia, will miss you dearly, my beloved son. Goodbye.'_

The message concluded, with Udyr finally seeing the grand scheme of things. "I really messed it all up, didn't I? My son has no father, my wife is now in eternal pain, and I can't even see my own mother to tell her that I love her. Damn it."

Spirit consoled Udyr. "I wouldn't regret anything yet. I think Xijan also would have something to say, is that correct?"

"Indeed." Xijan continued. "I lived my entire human life inside the dark soul of Nocturne, hoping that the light would save me. You were able to do that, Udyr. Therefore, I want to reunite you with your body in exchange for being able to live inside of your spirit. Do you accept?"

Udyr's sad face turned bright and he was about to accept if it wasn't for his father and his own long look. "Dad, won't you miss me?"

"I had my time, you fool. Your family misses you right now, and that is all that matters. Be a better Dad than me, and give that Soul kid the time of his life, you hear me?"

"You sure are my master, Dad." Udyr went along with Xijan. "I accept the terms of agreement."

"Then it is done. _Clairvaix Deus Ziva DON!"_ The spirit of Xijan embodied Udyr, and he felt his pulse once again. Udyr was cold once again, but he felt alive. It was just a matter of him waking up.

'_Ugh, there's my weight again.' _Udyr rolled over in the exact same position in which he died. The wound from Yasuo's sword was still there, but healing slowly. Udyr was mesmerized by his surroundings, and soon realized he was still in the Shadow Isles.

"The light really did overcome the darkness." Udyr also noticed the portal that Karma had left open. Instead of immediately going through it, he decided to see what the current situation was in Ionia through his inherited vision from Karma.

"_Clairvoyance!"_

_'I can see through it all. It looks like everyone is in Karma's place, and Nidalee is…wait, what is going on?'_

He looked further, and heard the current conversation going on at that time:

"I can sense some warmth in her heart, as if she just had a good dream. However, her spirit is still fatally wounded." Riven came forward, and took Nidalee in her arms. "Everyone go get some rest, it is too late to just crowed around and hope that she lives. I will do what I can."

Soul was now awake, and he was crying lightly. "All of this happened because I wasn't strong enough. Dad is dead, Mom is dying, what is there left if I leave now?"

Riven came over to Soul, and harmlessly slapped him across the face. "Don't let me hear you say such a thing ever again. Udyr had to go his whole life with this motion that power is all that mattered, until he found out that losing your soul in favor for power is the wrong path. If there is anything you should take away from today, know that both your parents loved you more than anything else."

Soul wanted to object, but he knew that crying over death was now pointless. Riven wanted to turn a new leaf now that she was taking over Karma's position, and Udyr could understand that in her tone alone.

'_Nidalee, stay strong. I will be with you momentarily…'_


	10. Chapter 9 - Peace

From Dusk Till Dawn – Chapter 9: Peace

Udyr was in Ionia, but he decided to not reveal himself just yet. He was a man who enjoyed the peace and quiet of the night, and chose to take some downtime in the meanwhile.

_'Everyone went to their respective homes. It appears that Lucian and Senna have left, but I know we shall not forget them for a long time. Yasuo is with Ahri, and Soul went back home. I think I will start by saying goodnight to little Annie.'_

Udyr was cloaked in the night as he went on his way to Yasuo's house. He wore and old robe that had a hood so he could stay incognito. Once he got to their house, he almost forgot how late it was when he attempted to knock on the door. Instead, he tried to communicate telepathically.

'_Yasuo of Ionia, wake up you drunkard.'_

_'Uh…huh, what is this?'_

_'It is to you that I owe a lot of gratitude. There would be no way that I could finally rest in peace if I knew I failed.'_

_'Spirit Walker, is that you?'_

_'I don't want to wake little Annie from her rest, but make sure she knows as well. I know that Ahri is human now, so her spirit perception is very weak. You might also tell her.'_

"Yasuo…are you still awake?" Ahri woke up slightly as Yasuo was just about to get out of bed. Instead of leaving, he decided to stay.

"Sorry Miss, I didn't mean to wake-"

Ahri interrupted him. "Excuse me, Yasuo…" She held up her index finder to reveal the ring that Yasuo had given her earlier. "It's Misses now, right?"

Yasuo laughed a bit inside. "How could I forget? Anyway, we can go back to sleep for now."

'_I sometimes forget how beautiful Ahri really is. Now that she doesn't have her natural inclination of lust, she really is beautiful. I think I will tell her the news in the morning…I need sleep as well…'_

Udyr was now off to see Karma and Riven. "I really hope it is not too late." Udyr knew that Karma was most likely going to die soon, but he wanted to say goodbye to her before it was too late. When he got there, he opened the door to nobody being there. Once Udyr went in and looked thoroughly around, he realized that Karma and Riven were not there. "There is one more place where they might be…"

Udyr began to walk on his way to the Ionian Palace where the Elders are taken once they die. On the way, Udyr was stopped by Riven herself. "Udyr, I sensed your enormous spirit from quite a long distance away. I'm glad you are here, but I know what you are looking for."

"Am I really too late?"

Riven hugged Udyr out of sympathy. "I tried everything I could to help her stay alive, but she said that it was no use."

"I understand. My only wish is that Karma knows that she did exactly what she should have done in her situation. I might not have been taken under her wing, but it looks like she found someone to take on her great name. Riven, you make me proud." Udyr patted Riven's head.

"I assume you are going to go see your wife? She is with your little boy right now I believe."

Udyr took up his hood once again. "That I must; thank you once again Riven." As Udyr was walking away, Riven stopped him.

"Wait…" She awkwardly looked back at Udyr. "I owe you a lot for…well, everything your mother has given me. I don't know how I could….repay you."

Instantaneously, Udyr kissed Riven, who was surprised by his immediate approach. "You grow up quite fast, yet you are so shy sometimes."

Riven's face was entirely red, and she held her hand up ready to slap Udyr. Instead, she hesitated. "Damn you." She kissed Udyr back, and went on her way.

_'Oh Riven, you never cease to amuse me. I can only imagine where you will go from now on. Until then, I still have to see my Wife and Son.'_

Udyr continued his journey through the night, and got to his home finally. Surprisingly, he got in his house without disturbing the peace. Udyr knew that both of them were asleep at this time, so he wanted to be a stealthy as he could. He went into Soul's room, and saw him shivering.

'_You fool, Son.' _He covered Soul with his own robe. '_Descendants of the Spirit Walkers need sleep more than anything, I know that for fact.'_

Now, Udyr went upstairs to his room that he and Nidalee slept in. Nidalee was on the right side of the bed as usual, and instead of waking her, Udyr just got on the left side.

'_Dying really makes me tired…I'll let her see me in the morning.' _Afterwards, he fell asleep. Nidalee was warmer and brighter than before, but she could not feel anything yet since she was asleep.

Sunrise….

Nidalee woke up first, and finally felt normal. Before, she could barely keep awake, but now that Udyr was back, their bond was restored.

"What is this feeling…that I have this morning?" Nidalee rolled over a bit, and realized Udyr was right beside her.

"Good morning, honey!"

Nidalee didn't react for a few seconds, and then she stuttered a bit. "Y-You…You…"

"Yes?" Udyr was just smiling back, as Nidalee was trying to recollect herself.

"YOU JERK!" Nidalee clawed Udyr upside the face. "I WAS REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT YOU THIS TIME, UDYR! FIRST YOU GO OFF AND DIE BY LISSANDRA, THEN YOU GO OFF AND LET ZED NEARLY KILL ME, AND YOU COME BACK TO LIFE AFTER DYING AGAIN!?"

Udyr wanted to laugh, but Nidalee's razor sharp scratch kept Udyr in pain. "Sorry about that, Nidalee. I didn't want to leave our son like my Dad did to me. I hope you can forgive me for giving you a heart attack."

Nidalee immediately kissed him. "Shut up, you fool. You talk too much."

Udyr laughed, and pulled Nidalee towards him. "Hey, that's my line, you fool! Hahaha!" They kissed each other, and laughed again.

"You better not go off dying on me again, otherwise I'll seriously kill you, _Master."_

'_I haven't felt this happy in years, maybe even an entire lifetime. I think it is possible...now…'_

Udyr had a flashback of the times that he thought everything was over, and came back to the present.

'_Now is the time…that we can have Peace.'_

**THE END.**


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